Tuesday, March 15 2005 13:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dhaka: Despite Bangladesh's protests, India has asked it not to resist border fencing "at some places" as the two sides had agreed earlier on the step, diplomatic sources said in Dhaka today (Mar 15, 2005).

"A note verbale was sent to the Bangladesh foreign Ministry last week on the issue," a South Asian diplomat said.

The note verbale requested Dhaka to ask its border guards, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), not to resist construction of barbed wire fences at some places within 150 yards of no man's land as the two sides had earlier agreed at a secretary-level meeting on the step, he said.

The 'Daily Star' newspaper, however reported today quoting BDR sources that India would not be allowed to construct "fences or any other installations within 150 yards of no man's land".

Bangladesh has claimed India's move to fence the border between the two countries with barbed wire, which has sparked frontier tension, was a violation "in some cases" of a 1975 land boundary guidelines.

"The recent tension along the border with India was a consequence of India's move to fence the frontier with barbed wire, violating in some cases, the land boundary guideline of 1975," Morshed Khan, the country's foreign Minister said earlier.

Khan claimed Border Security Force (BSF) had recently started a move to erect 150 yards from the border, which the Bangladesh Rifles had "rightly resisted".

"If there is any problem in case of erecting fences beyond 150 yards of the border, India should talk to Bangladesh. It cannot take decision unilaterally," he said.