Pakistan Rangers to visit India on March 25: report

Indian Home Ministry official says delegation will hold talks with BSF

As India’s foreign secretary’s visit thawed relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals, a high-level delegation of Pakistan Rangers is due to visit India later this month for talks with their Indian counterpart, the Border Security Force.

The visit comes in the backdrop of a long spell of strained ties between the neighbours over a spate of ceasefire violations.

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The Rangers delegation led by its two directors general (DGs) is expected to embark on a five-day visit on March 25, according to Zee News.

"The Pakistan Rangers are arriving in India for annual DG-level talks for five days from March 25 to March 29. The last time the two sides met was in December 2013 when the BSF travelled to Lahore,” a top Home Ministry official told PTI.

The official added, “Since then, the ties have been strained because of ceasefire violations along the international border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and the visit kept on getting delayed."

The delegation will enter through Wagah-Attari in Punjab and will hold talks at the BSF headquarters.

Both the director generals of Pakistan Rangers, Major General Bilal Akbar (DG Rangers Sindh) and Major General Khan Tahir Javed Khan (DG Rangers Punjab), will reportedly attend the talks.

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The top officials said the BSF is expected to take up the issue of ceasefire violations during the meeting while they expect similar dossiers from their counterparts.

"The two sides will want to talk and thrash out issues in a cordial manner. The Home Ministry and security establishment want to honour these talks as they are happening after a long hiatus. India will put across its statement of record of the last eight months when the border saw maximum tension due to repeated ceasefire violations," the official said.

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The Indian side would be led by BSF Director General D K Pathak. Officials from border management division of the Home Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs, PWD officials of the Punjab government, the Narcotics Control Bureau and officials from the Survey of India will be part of the delegation.

Pakistan’s delegation will include senior officials, including those from the Interior Ministry.