India, Pakistan agree to send back inadvertent border crossers

Lahore, Dec 28: India and

today agreed that people who inadvertently cross the frontier would be immediately returned to their respective countries.

The decision was made during a five-day bi-annual meeting of officials of the Pakistan Rangers and India's Border Security Force here. According to a statement issued after the talks, the two sides decided to continue efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity on the international border.

The two border guard forces agreed that people who inadvertently cross the frontier would be immediately returned to their respective countries. The two sides reached consensus on using communication channels more effectively to control violations on the frontier.

They also agreed on "zero tolerance" for smuggling

They also agreed on "zero tolerance" for smuggling. Consensus was developed on issues like stopping illegal construction‚ removal of wild growth like scrubs and maintenance of boundary pillars.

Defence constructions, border incidents and trans-border crimes like drug trafficking, infiltration and smuggling of arms and fake Indian currency, inadvertent border crossings and other matters of mutual interest were discussed for effective border management, authorities said.

The Indian delegation, headed by BSF chief Subhash Joshi, included senior officers from Chandigarh, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the BSF headquarters in New Delhi. The decisions came days after the Directors General of Military Operations of the two countries met after 14 years and decided to re-energise mechanisms for maintaining the ceasefire on the Line of Control.

PTI