NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday raised with Bangladesh India’s concerns over illegal immigration from that country to the Northeast.
The issue was flagged before Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the 7th meeting of India-Bangladesh Home Minister Level Talks (HMLT) here.
Shah raised India’s concern regarding the illicit movement of people across the border, with a view to finding solutions to this problem especially in Northeast India, an official statement said.
This came ahead of the publication of the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam on August 31.
When the draft NRC was published last year, 40 lakh names were excluded, leading to a huge political controversy.
Assam and other Northeastern states have been facing the problem of influx from neighbouring Bangladesh through the porous border.
Both the home ministers reaffirmed the need to further curb the menace of trans-border crimes, and therefore agreed to the need for greater co-operation to achieve “our aim of a secure border”, the statement said.
Both sides also reviewed the pending issues related to security and infrastructure at the borders and agreed to take steps to resolve the matters expeditiously.
Shah assured Khan of India’s continuing support for safe and speedy repatriation of the displaced Myanmar citizens sheltered in Bangladesh, for whom India has provided humanitarian assistance in four tranches since September 2017.
The leaders also looked forward to enhancing cooperation in simplifying people-to-people contact and travel for business, health and tourism, including through promoting connectivity, it said.
This was Shah’s first interaction with a foreign leader after assuming charge as the country’s home minister two months ago.
Following the talks, Shah said in a tweet he “had an extensive discussion on the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh”.
During the meeting, the ministers expressed satisfaction that both countries were working closer than ever before in every sector, including security and border management.
They reiterated their commitment to keeping the borders friendly, and in this regard appreciated the close co-operation between their border guarding forces, the statement said.
Shah appreciated Bangladesh’s policy of not allowing the use of its territory by extremists and insurgents for perpetrating violence in other countries including India.
Shah congratulated the visiting dignitary on his resumption of the office as home minister of Bangladesh for a second term and reiterated India’s full support for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s development agenda.
Both the ministers reiterated the significance attached to the bilateral relationship, that is forged in the 1971 Liberation War, which goes far beyond a strategic partnership.
“Today, our ties are a role model for good neighbourly relations across the world. They are rooted in history, culture, language and shared values of democracy, secularism, development cooperation and countless other commonalities,” the statement said.
India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh. PTI
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