The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that agreements have been made with Bangladesh over border fencing, stating that securing the border is important for restraining crime and criminal incidents.
During the MEA weekly briefing in New Delhi, official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that the objective is to tackle issues such as human trafficking, cattle smuggling, and other illegal activities, working towards a “crime-free” border.
“Our understanding is that Bangladesh will take this positively and praise our attempts. We aspire to develop a crime-free border by tackling issues like human smuggling, cattle smuggling, and other criminal activities,” Jaiswal told the media.
The spokesperson’s statement on border fencing follows the recent attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, allegedly done by a man alleged to be a Bangladeshi who was staying in India unlawfully.
The incident, which happened during an attempted burglary at Khan’s private residence in Bandra on January 16, has ignited talks on unlawful immigration, specifically from Bangladesh. The attack on the actor has highlighted the issue of security concerns and the significance of addressing unlawful immigration to prevent such incidents.
In response to a statement from Pakistan’s ISPR, which alleged India of politicising its army, Jaiswal reaffirmed that the world is fully informed of the origins of cross-border terrorism.
“The whole world knows who is supporting terrorism. In India, when we have terror-related attacks, we all understand the origin and root of cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal said.
The statement comes after the Indian Army’s response to the terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, which have been connected to Pakistan.
The spokesperson also said that making allegations of politicisation is irrelevant. “So in this context, when the whole world knows who is the originator of cross-border terrorism, to say that we are trying to politicise something, etc., is totally immaterial,” he added.
He further urged Pakistan to take solid steps to stop cross-border terrorism, stating that everyone knows the countries and individuals responsible for encouraging such violence.
