India proposes September dates for BSF-Pakistan Rangers talks

NEW DELHI: With India and Pakistan ready to hold talks between Border Security Force ( BSF) and Pakistan Rangers, New Delhi is learnt to have conveyed a probable date of September 9-13 for the visit of Pakistan's delegation. The union home ministry is also trying to fix a date before September in order to expedite the border talks and reduce further tension on the international borders in J&K, said officials.

As reported by ET on Friday, New Delhi has reached out to Islamabad to hold border talks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa. The two countries agreed to hold meeting which had been stalled for past two years. BSF officials said that they have received the communication are further trying to work out a date before September 9.

Soon after the joint statement at Ufa, NSA Ajit Doval said, “the meeting between heads of BSF and Pakistan Rangers will help bring peace and tranquillity on the border.“

In past one year, there has been series of unprovoked firings with India taking a more belligerent approach. BSF retaliated strongly af ter one of its soldiers was shot in the leg. This happened apparently because BSF objected to a makeshift construction on the border, which was eventually destroyed in the retaliation.