BSF, Pakistan Rangers may start joint patrolling on International Border soon

The Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers held a round of cordial talks on Thursday, with both sides even exploring coordinated patrolling on the international border. The two sides will meet again on Friday for an unscheduled round for working out modalities of proposed coordinated patrolling and a mechanism to "talk more, meet more often and when needed, as only interaction and communication can reduce confusion, and only if there is no confusion will there be no firing," a senior government official told ET.

The coordinated patrolling may kick off in the Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat sectors but not the Jammu sector which may require greater level of confidence.

"The meeting was only scheduled for Thursday. But the talks were forward-looking and hence both sides agreed to sit by the table on Friday as well to work out modalities for ensuring peace on the border. Coordinated patrolling is on the agenda — where timings may be exchanged between both sides to patrol the border. A joint agreement and statement could be issued on September 12," the government official said.

BSF Director General DK Pathak refused to comment on the deliberations but said he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting on Thursday. "The talks were cordial, pragmatic and forward-looking," Pathak told ET.

An official present at the meeting said the Pakistani side seemed to have realised the "futility" of firing on the border with civilians dying on both sides and seemed under pressure from their civil society to maintain peace. "We told Pakistan that we have responsibility of protecting civilians and so do you. There were no raised or hot voices...both sides did raise violations by either at the onset of the meeting but we said what are we to gain from the past? Let's talk future and device a system so that this situation is controlled," he said. India proposed a sports meet between both sides to break the ice.

India did complain of infiltrations at the border at 3 am in the night and either the Rangers know the presence of this activity or are incapable of checking it.

"The Pakistani side said it does not have high-tech manning of the border like India or the infrastructure and hence is unable to check infiltration," an official said. Pakistan side proposed a joint investigation in past incidents but India is said to have insisted on looking towards the future.