India and Nepal address movement of third-country nationals at 8th border security coordination meeting

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The eighth annual Nepal-India border security coordination meeting began in Kathmandu on Saturday, ANI reported. Security officials from both countries focused on the increasing concerns about the movement of third-country nationals across the porous Nepal-India border.

As per ANI, APF Inspector General Raju Aryal and SSB Director General Amrit Mohan Prasad led the discussions, addressing the flow of nationals from countries like China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

Both sides expressed mutual concerns about the movement of these nationals, with Indian officials highlighting the presence of nationals from China and Pakistan. In contrast, Nepali officials raised concerns regarding the influx of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, especially after Bangladesh's political instability.

"They [Indian officials] indicated the movement of Chinese and Pakistani nationals from our border and we also expressed concerns about the Rohingya refugees as well as Bangladeshi nationals who started coming to Nepal after the recent political turmoil in Bangladesh," said a senior Nepali security official attending the meeting.

Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson, Rishi Ram Tiwari, highlighted the broad range of issues discussed, including tackling human trafficking, cross-border criminal activities, and increasing coordination between the two border agencies, ANI cited.

"We discussed a slew of issues related to boundary, border, human trafficking, checking cross-border criminal activities and coordination between the two agencies in border areas," Tiwari said.

The annual meetings, which have taken place since 2012, serve as a forum for discussing mutual security concerns such as drug trafficking, smuggling, and corruption.

The security agencies are concentrating on improving communication between the two sides, preserving boundary pillars, and increasing joint patrolling. India has more than 400 outposts along the Nepal-India border, whereas the APF has 244 outposts.

As per ANI, along with border security, the two agencies also talked about joint preparations for natural disasters, with both sides vowing to share resources and manpower to respond to emergencies affecting areas on both sides of the border.

"We are focusing on effective communication and timely information sharing between the two security agencies to combat this perennial crisis," the security official said.

The meeting will conclude on Monday, with both sides aiming to strengthen collaboration and reduce cross-border crimes, while also maintaining border integrity and security. ANI reported.

(With inputs from ANI)