Kathmandu, Nov 19 (Agency) India and Nepal have agreed to jointly form a new task force to counter the issue of border security. The open border has long been used by criminals on the run in both countries to escape law enforcement, as well as for drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and entry of people from third countries. The formation of the new task force has been given top priority in the ‘APF-SSB Eighth Coordination Meeting’ which began in Kathmandu from Saturday to further bolster the coordination between the Armed Police Force (APF) of Nepal and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the border security force of India, according to MyRepublica. On Sunday, the Indian delegation met Nepal’s Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, at Singh Durbar, where he emphasised the need to ensure that citizens crossing the shared border are treated with dignity and respect.
Highlighting the centuries-old ties between Nepal and India, he noted that such meetings are pivotal in fostering stronger bilateral relations. A meeting is said to be have been held at the APF Headquarters in Halchowk, Kathmandu, on Monday morning, on the issue. The three-day meeting which began on Saturday to discuss issues such as prevention and minimisation of cross-border crimes, carrying out surveillance to control illegal activities, intelligence cooperation, and joint supervision of the border marker pillars, among other issues. Over the past three years, New Delhi has repeatedly told Nepal to stop the illegal entry of Pakistani and Chinese nationals. Likewise, Kathmandu has also urged India to stop the increasing entry of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas from Myanmar into Nepal via India. The meeting was led by APF Inspector General Raju Aryal, on behalf of Nepal, and SSB Director General Amrit Mohan Prasad on behalf of India. According to a senior APF official, both sides agreed on the issue of surveillance of citizens who attempt to enter illegally from third countries, the daily said.