PHOTO: PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon in Kolkata on Saturday.

Kolkata: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon called on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to discuss border and infiltration issues on Saturday.

Mr. Menon said West Bengal was an important State from the strategic point of view as it shared common international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. He reportedly exchanged views with Mr. Bhattacharjee on relationships with these countries.

Earlier, Mr. Menon met veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu at his residence.

The State Government, in recent times, has been expressing concern over attempts by operatives of fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh to sneak into the country. It has urged the Centre to pressure Bangladesh to dismantle the camps, which are being used by extremists operating in the northeast as well as in parts of north Bengal. Mr. Bhattacharjee had warned of the increasing threat posed by these extremists to the security of this region. In August, two Pakistanis, belonging terrorist group based in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, and reported to have connections with the Mumbai blasts, were arrested as they were trying to sneak across the border.

The State Government's concern with respect to such incidents was also conveyed to Mr. Menon.

The State had also reported that there might be fresh attempts by extremists to set up base in Bhutan and underlined the need to strengthen vigil in the India-Bhutan border. The Centre had been urged to do the same on the Nepal border following months of political unrest in that country.

The State Government had also reiterated the need to hasten the construction of the fence along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border, large stretches of which still remain porous.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail