India-Nepal border forces' talks to begin in Delhi tomorrow

Border guarding forces of India and Nepal will hold a three-day bilateral meeting here from Monday and discuss measures to curb trans-frontier crimes and timely sharing of intelligence inputs, an official said.

The seventh edition of the annual coordination talks between the two countries is led by India's Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) director general Rashmi Shukla and the visiting inspector general of the Armed Police Force (APF) of Nepal, Raju Aryal. The meeting will be in Delhi from November 6 to 8, the official said on Sunday ''The talks at the level of two heads of the forces serve as a crucial platform for both forces to engage in discussions on border-related matters,'' an official statement said.

''The SSB and APF delegations aim to strengthen the coordination between the two border guarding forces for more effective management of the open and unfenced India-Nepal border,'' it said.

The ''focus'' of the meeting shall be on the development of effective mechanisms to collaboratively combat trans-border crimes and facilitate the prompt exchange of critical information between the forces, it said.

The SSB is a central armed police force under the Union Home Ministry and it is tasked to guard the 1,751 km India-Nepal open international border.

These annual talks have been held alternatively in India and Nepal since 2012.