Security officials of Nepal and India have agreed to maintain records and conduct joint patrols to ensure the security and management of movement across the international border of the two countries. The ninth ‘Nepal-India Border Security Coordination Meeting’ held in Delhi, India, agreed to collect ‘real-time records’ of movement across the international border of both countries.

The records will be kept at the field units of both countries and at their headquarters in the center. The agreement was reached at a meeting between the Inspector General of the Armed Police Force of Nepal and the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Director General. In order to prevent and control illegal infiltration, customs fraud/smuggling, and manage border security, both countries have agreed to maintain movement records through their respective Border Out Posts (BOPs) and Tourist Help Desks deployed for border security. Records will be kept at the BOPs, while tourist help desks will be established at the main and busiest border crossings for tourist movement.

Both countries have been organizing the ‘Border Security Coordination Meeting’ at the level of the border security chiefs of both countries alternately every year. The eighth meeting was held in Kathmandu in November 2002. Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Raju Aryal left for Delhi on Tuesday, leading an 8-member team comprising officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the ninth meeting. A team led by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Director General Sanjay Singhal participated in the meeting from India. The meeting, which began on Wednesday, concluded with the signing of a dozen joint decisions for border security.

The security chiefs of both countries have expressed their commitment to implement the joint decision through their respective governments. Under the same joint decision, it is mentioned that a 'real-time record' will be collected, including detailed details and travel times of Nepal-India travelers.

The border between Nepal and India stretches for about 1,880 kilometers from Taplejung in the east to Kanchanpur in the far west. Nepal and India have been deploying Armed Police Force (APF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) troops for border security. India has deployed troops at its border crossings on the Nepal side through more than 500 border out posts of the SSB. The Armed Police Force has deployed its manpower in the border area through 250 BOPs.

In the border security coordination meeting, Inspector General of Armed Police Aryal had requested to take this issue seriously, saying that Nepali citizens coming from India are being robbed, beaten and mistreated at the border. Along with this, discussions were held on removing misunderstandings that may arise between citizens of other countries at the border, preventing mistreatment, organizing cross-border occupation, drug control, customs fraud/smuggling, infiltration of third-country nationals, controlling the tendency to commit crimes in one country and hide in another, border pillar security, repair and search for missing pillars, etc.

Nepal had expressed serious concern that third-country nationals were infiltrating Nepal via India. Nepal had raised this issue with priority in last year's meeting, but the then Chief of SSB, Amrit Mohan Prasad, who came to participate in the eighth meeting, had said that it was difficult to identify third-country nationals by appearance 'because their faces and complexions are similar'. Citizens of countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Bhutan and others have been infiltrating and entering through India. Some of them have been smuggled into Nepal by gangs using fake Indian Aadhaar cards and other identity cards.

Nepali officials say that the security threat from those who enter Nepal in this way is increasing. Similarly, those who infiltrate are often disguised as 'refugees'. Among those who infiltrate, the group of Rohingyas who have entered from Myanmar is increasing.

Armed Police Inspector General Aryal has requested to be serious about controlling smuggling, saying that the increase in cross-border smuggling and customs fraud has affected Nepal's revenue collection, according to the participating sources. The meeting source said that India has requested to tighten this, saying that it is engaging in activities against India by entering Nepal under the guise of third-country citizens, NGOs and religious activities.

In response to Nepal's request to control medical drugs smuggled from India under the guise of medicines, India has promised to provide the 'batch' and pharmaceutical company details of the seized drugs and to investigate and take action against the culprits on the basis of that. Similarly, there was also discussion on the need to maintain records with biometrics at the main border points to prevent the infiltration of third-country nationals.

To address these issues, an agreement has been reached to conduct 24-hour joint security patrols in the border area by exchanging information, looking at risks and challenges. In addition, during the meeting and sideline discussions, Inspector General of Armed Police Aryal had sought India's help in arresting some prisoners who escaped from jails during the Gen-G movement on Bhadra 24, saying that they may have entered India. The Nepali side had sought help in bringing them under control, saying that the escaped prisoners and weapons looted from the police had added to the challenge. In response, SSB Chief Singhal said that he was serious about the matter and promised to cooperate, sources present at the meeting said.