India has expressed its concern to Pakistan over the infiltration of armed persons from across the border into Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab during a meeting in Wagah of border officials of the two countries.
The issue was raised during a meeting between the Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers that concluded in Wagah on Thursday evening, highly placed official sources privy to the discussions said on Friday.
"The BSF expressed its worry to its Pakistani counterparts with regard to infiltration of human beings with arms and ammunition through the international border in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan," a source said.
The meeting was attended by BSF Deputy Inspector General G S Virk and Pakistan Rangers's Deputy Director General Brigadier M Qaiser Khan Tareen, who led a 10-member delegation.
During the meeting, Indian officials cited an incident that occurred on the Rajashthan border, where three armed Pakistani nationals were gunned down nearly a month ago by the BSF during a shootout after they ignored warnings to surrender.
However, the Pakistan Rangers vehemently denied that the intruders were Pakistani nationals.
The BSF also raised the issue of the frequent seizure of heroin at the border with Pakistan, besides the smuggling of narcotics and huge quantities of fake Indian currency, the sources said.
Both sides resolved that vigilance along the entire border would be enhanced with immediate effect to curb unwanted activities.
They also discussed a strategy to make the joint patrolling effective, they said. It was also agreed that both sides would stop all unwanted construction on the international border except the repair of concrete pillars marking the boundary.
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