DHAKA: The government is minutely monitoring the recent BSF-Khasia attacks on Bangladeshis on Jaintapur border in Sylhet, the home ministry stated Monday, after the Indian envoy in Dhaka explained the situation.     

Rajeet Mitter, Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, was called in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a meeting to discuss the situation as Khasia tribesmen reportedly backed by India’s Border Security Force personnel shot and injured three Bangladeshi villagers in a raid on their farmlands Monday.

State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, after the meeting, told journalists that they, in a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner at his office in the secretariat, discussed the Jaintapur situation.

“The government is monitoring with importance the recent attack by BSF and Khasias on Bangladeshis on Jaintapur border in Sylhet,” he said.

Tuku informed that a meeting of the Joint Boundary Working Group would be held by the coming Ramadan month for discussing the incident.
 
He said border security forces of both the countries would encourage their countries’ people for peaceful co-existence.

“Rajeet Mitter expressed the same opinion in this regard,” the minister said.

He asserted that the government would “do everything for keeping peace in the border area”.
 
He hoped that the problems would be solved permanently.

“There are some ‘adversely possessed lands’ under both the countries. Sometimes Bangladesh and sometimes India is ahead in grabbing these ‘adversely possessed lands,” he said about the perennial problem that dates back to the partition of the subcontinent at the end of the British colonial rule in 1947.
 
Replying to a question Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder said the Joint Boundary Working Group has worked since 1974 for solving border problems.

“The problems are happening repeatedly as the meeting of the Joint Secretary-level committee was not held for last several years.”

Replying to a question about the ultimatum of Jamaat-e-Islami, Tuku said, “They have been threatening the government since long before their leaders were arrested. They have threatened that they would oust the government if we start the trial of war criminals.”  

Indicating the opposition BNP, Tuku said, “They have enforced hartal to intercept the trial of war criminals, but to no effect. We will finish the trial during the tenure of the government.”  

BDST: 1716 HRS, JULY 5, 2010