Dialogue October-December, 2006 , Volume 8 No. 2
India’s Border Management Challenges
The
concept of border management is undergoing rapid transformation with the
increasing acceptance of globalization. Nations are coming closer. Barriers are
being lowered. Trade and commerce are bonding people across the international
borders. The restrictions along the borders are no longer as stringent as they
were in the past.
The Task Force defined Border
Management as “co-ordination and concerted action by political leadership, and
administrative, diplomatic, security, intelligence, legal, regulatory and
economic agencies of the country to secure our frontiers and subserve the best
interests of the country”. Generally speaking, it implies a comprehensive
package including:
l guarding the borders in time of war
l defending the borders in time of peace
l ensuring that there are no unauthorized movements of men
from either side
l taking steps against smuggling of arms, explosives,
narcotics and other contraband items
l using sophisticated technological devices to supplement
the human effort, and
l promoting the socio-economic development of the border population.
However, it needs to be
emphasized that the level of security arrangements along a particular border
would depend upon the political relations, the economic linkages, the
ethno-religious ties between people across the borders and the configuration of
the border itself. In India, the challenges of border management acquire added
dimensions due to certain factors peculiar to the country. These are:
l most of our land borders are artificial boundaries and
are not based on natural features like rivers or
watersheds
l there are large stretches of un-demarcated land borders
l there are no sanitized corridors along the borders and
there is habitation/ cultivation right up to the
zero line
l the borders are porous and therefore easily negotiable
l the border guarding forces had to be, on occasions,
withdrawn from the frontiers and deployed on
counter-insurgency duties
India
has international borders with six different countries:
China
-
4,056 kms.
Pakistan -
3,074 kms.
Bangladesh -
4,095 kms.
Myanmar -
1,643 kms.
Nepal
-
1,751 kms.
Bhutan -
699 kms.
15,318 kms
Besides,
there is a coastline of 5422 kms; there are also two island territories on our
Eastern and Western flanks accounting for a coastline of 2,094 kms.
Border Management in Other Countries
Border
management varies from country to country. A country like Australia, for
example, has no land borders to take care of. USA has borders with Canada in the
north and Mexico in the south. The US-Canada border is 8,895 kms. long but it is
“the longest undefended border in the world”. Along the Mexico border,
however, the US maintains a Border Patrol whose mission is to detect and
apprehend illegal aliens and smugglers.
The
Russian Federation’s border policy aims to serve and defend the country’s
national interests and ensure the security of the individual, society and the
state in the border areas.
China’s
land borders total more than 22,000 km in length; its mainland coastline
stretches for some 18,000 km; and it neighbors more than 20 countries, either
contiguous or separated by stretches of sea. China advocates settling pending
and unresolved border and maritime demarcation issues through negotiations and
purportedly believes in setting up confidence-building mechanisms in border
regions. In actual practice, however, the country has all along pursued an
expansionist policy and asserted its claims in the bordering regions by force.
India’s Border Management
In
India, border management has unfortunately never been our strong point. And that
is why the country has been subject to repeated invasions from different
directions down the history. In the earlier periods, the invasions came from the
north-west. Starting from Alexander’s invasion of India in 326 BC, the country
suffered successive invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 followed by that of
Muhammad of Ghur in 1192, Babar in 1526, Nadir Shah in 1739 and Ahmad Shah
Abdali in 1761. The colonial powers from the West exploited the sea routes. The
Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English all established settlements
along the coast. The East India Company went on to lay the foundations of
British Empire in India.
After
independence, it was expected that the government would evolve a sound strategic
doctrine and ensure comprehensive border management. Unfortunately, that did not
happen. The Chinese crossed what was generally considered an impregnable barrier
across the Himalayas in 1962 and Pakistan intruded into the Kargil sector in
1999.
Border Guarding Forces
The
forces entrusted with guarding the borders, apart from the Indian Army, are :
Border
Security Force (BSF) – It was raised
essentially to provide a sense of security among the people living in the border
areas, to prevent trans-border crimes, unauthorized entry into or exit from the
territory of India, and to prevent smuggling and any other illegal activity. The
Force is however extensively utilized on internal security duties.
Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) – It is meant
to guard the Indo-Tibetan border from the Karakoram Pass in J&K through the
Western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh and up to Lipuleck Pass in UP.
Assam
Rifles (AR) – Though under the
administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Force is for all
practical purposes under the Army’s control. It is officered by the Army and
its logistics like transport and communications are also provided by the Army.
The Force is deployed on counter-insurgency operations in the north-east.
Sashastra
Seema Bal (SSB) – The SSB was
actually set up in 1963 in the wake of India - China conflict of 1962 to build
people’s morale and inculcate a spirit of resistance in the border population
against the threats of subversions, infiltration and sabotage from across the
borders. Its charter has since been amended and it has been given border
guarding responsibilities along the Nepal and Bhutan borders.
India-China Border
The
India-China border, extending over a length of 4,056 kms., starts from the
north-western tip of the state of Jammu & Kashmir and goes on up to the
north-eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh. It follows the geographical principle
of watershed which, at most places, is the crest of the high mountain ranges.
The border has well-defined sectors – the western sector, the middle sector
and the eastern sector.
India’s
relations with China were cordial in the initial stages. In fact, India was one
of the first countries to extend diplomatic recognition to the People’s
Republic of China. The souring of relations started with the Chinese annexation
of Tibet in 1950. Later, Dalai Lama’s flight to India in 1959 and India’s
sympathetic response to the plight of Tibetans queered the pitch. In 1962, the
Chinese committed aggression and occupied large chunks of Indian territory in
the western and eastern sectors.
There
have been several rounds of talks between the special representatives of India
and China to resolve the border dispute, but progress has been tardy. China has
tacitly recognised Sikkim as Indian territory but it continues to hold on to
38,000 sq kms. of territory in J & K and lays claim over 90,000 sq kms. of
land in Arunachal Pradesh.
K.
Subrahmanyam, India’s strategic affairs expert, has cautioned India against
reverting to the “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” mode1.
Another defence expert, Brahma Chellaney, is of the view that the undefined
Himalayan frontier fits well into the Chinese scheme of things in the sense that
l the status quo keeps India under strategic
pressure,
l pins down, along the Himalayas, hundreds of thousands of
Indian troops, and
l gives China the option to turn on military heat along the
frontier if India were to play the Tibet card
or enter into a military alliance
with the United States.
India
should, according to Chellaney, insist on mutually clarifying the LAC with
China, otherwise “China will continue to take India round and round the
mulberry tree”.
The
ITBP has been guarding the India-China border in the western and the middle
sectors. The eastern sector is guarded by the Army with Assam Rifles under its
command. The Task Force on Border Management has recommended that the ITBP
should be deployed along the entire length of India-China border and it should
be placed under the operational control of the Army till such time as the border
is demarcated. Its other recommendations are:
l infrastructure along the border should be developed on a priority basis,
particularly the construction
of border roads,
l the capabilities of the ITBP should be upgraded by giving
it weapons, equipment and clothing on par
with the local Army units, and
l patrolling must be conducted up to areas within our perception of the LAC
in all sectors of the
India-China border to reinforce our claims over those
areas.
India-Pakistan Border
The
India-Pakistan border stretches over a length of 3,074 kms. running along
the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. The border has
distinct geographical and physical features depending on the state it passes
through
The
terrorist movement in Punjab, it may be recalled, was sustained from across the
borders. The terrorists would easily cross the international border, establish
contact with the Pak ISI or Rangers, get shelter with them and, in due course,
return with sophisticated weapons, ammunition and explosives. The weapons
diverted from the Afghan pipeline gave a tremendous boost to the terrorist
movement. Effective border management, however, contributed to containing and
eventually almost wiping out the terrorist movement in Punjab. The salient
features of border management included
l Border Security Fencing
l Border Security Lighting
l Wire Obstacles over stretches not covered by Fencing
l Border Tracks
l Additional Observation Towers along the border.
In
Jammu and Kashmir, a length of 778 kms. is categorized as Line of Control and is
defended by the Army. The BSF is also deployed over 288.95 kms. of the LC but it
functions under the operational control of the Army. The IB (International
Border) is patrolled by the BSF; here also, in Jammu region, BSF is placed under
the operational control of the Army. There were frequent incidents of firings
and shellings across the LC, but these have subsided with the thaw in Indo-Pak
relations. The aid and assistance to Kashmiri militants and the infiltration of mujahideens
into J&K by Pakistan nevertheless continues to bedevil the relations between
the two countries.
The following measures along the
western border are called for:
1. The fencing project,
already approved, should be implemented on the ground expeditiously.
2. The inter-BOP
distance should not be more than 3.5 kms., as recommended by the Border
Management Task Force.
3. The resources
available to the BSF, Police and the Customs in the coastal and creek areas of
Gujarat need to be augmented.
4. High tech systems
should be applied, wherever feasible, to improve our vigilance along the J&K
borders.
India-Bangladesh Border
The India-Bangladesh border has a
length of 4,095.70 kms. and it runs along the states of West Bengal, Assam,
Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. The entire border is guarded by the BSF. The
border is generally peaceful, but there are skirmishes between the Border
Security Force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
The border problems are basically
related to
l Enclaves on either side of the borders
l Adverse possessions, and
l Undemarcated stretch of the border
There are 51 Bangladesh enclaves
(area 7,110 acres) in India as against 111 Indian enclaves (area 17,158 acres)
in Bangladesh. The enclaves were created by the rulers of the princely states of
Cooch Behar in North Bangal and Rongpur in South Bengal, who staked pieces of
their estates over a game of cards. The net result was that they came to acquire
pockets of land in each other’s territory. The lands were pledged or pawned on
chits of paper. The ownership of these enclaves passed on to India and East
Pakistan respectively after the partition in 1947. The simplest thing would have
been to exchange the enclaves with such territorial adjustments as may be
necessary and acceptable to both the countries. The Government of India has been
insisting on a joint census of the enclaves before these are exchanged, but the
Government of Bangladesh has not yet agreed to the suggestion.
Adverse possession means area
belonging to one country but being held by the other due to some dispute in the
area or the border not being properly demarcated. There are 3,000 acres of such
areas. A small stretch of 6.5 kms. of the border remains un-demarcated also.
There
are two other issues which have a direct bearing on border management along the
borders with Bangladesh. These relate to (1) the activities of insurgent groups
from India finding shelter and sustenance in Bangladesh and (2) the large scale
migration of Bangladeshis into India.
Several
insurgent groups operating in India seek shelter in Bangladesh. They manage to
get supplies of weapons and ammunition also. The NSCN (I-M), ULFA and Bodo
militants have all along been exploiting Bangladesh territory, using it as a
base to reorganize and equip themselves to launch attacks on the Indian State.
There are strong elements in Bangladesh, like the Jamaat-e-Islami, which are
hostile to India. Besides, there are elements in the Bangladesh Army and the
Bangladesh Rifles which have pan-Islamic leanings and provide support to
secessionist groups of India’s north-east.
The
large scale infiltration of illegal immigrants from the East has created a
problem of formidable dimensions. In the wake of partition, large number of
Hindus crossed over to the states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. In due
course, when the Pak army was coming down heavily on the Bengalis, a large
number of Muslims also crossed the borders into India. Both Hindus and Muslims
unfortunately continue to pour in India in large numbers. The Muslims have been
moving primarily for economic reasons and it is estimated that they constitute
nearly seventy percent of the infiltrants. A total of 15 million Bangladeshis
are estimated to have illegally migrated into India. They are mostly
concentrated in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Bihar and Delhi. Districts
bordering Bangladesh have witnessed very high growth in population.
The
Group of Ministers, in their Recommendations on the National Security System
(February 2001), while taking care of Bangladesh’s sensitivity in the matter,
yet stated that “the massive illegal immigration poses a grave danger to our
security, social harmony and economic well being”.
The
following measures could be taken to stem the tide of immigration :
l Fencing along Bangladesh border should be completed
notwithstanding the objections of the
Bangladesh Government. The government have
declared that land border with Bangladesh in Assam
sector would be completely
sealed by Dec. 31,2006.
l BSF deployment along the Bangladesh border needs to be
augmented. The Water Wing of the BSF
should also be strengthened. Rivers
Raimangal, Kalindi and Padma flow at some places directly
across the
international border and these are exploited by the immigrants as well as
smugglers.
l The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal)Act, 1983
(IMDT Act) having been repealed by the
Supreme Court, the Central/State
Governments should take effective steps under the Foreigners’
Act to expel the
illegal immigrants
l The Immigration and Customs departments should set up
their infrastructure along the border to
regulate the human traffic in an
institutionalized manner and also check the inflow of commodities.
India-Myanmar Border
The India-Myanmar border extends
over a length of 1,643 kms. Mountains in the north and rivers in the south form
natural barriers, separating the two countries. On the Indian side, Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram border Myanmar. The BSF and the Assam
Rifles share the border.
The cross-border movements of
terrorists / insurgents has been a problem for the Government of India from the
early fifties. The Naga gangs would cross over to the Somra tract in Burma and
travel to East Pakistan for supplies of arms and ammunition. Later, they even
went to the Yunnan province of China through the Burmese territory. The Mizo
rebels had no difficulty in crossing over to East Pakistan. The ULFA has been
regularly sending its personnel to Myanmar for shelter and training.
India’s location between two of
world’s largest drug producing regions - the Golden Crescent and the Golden
Triangle countries - has made it extremely vulnerable to trafficking in drugs.
There is smuggling of heroin and amphetamines on a large scale from across the
eastern borders. The state of Manipur is worst affected.
The following measures are
recommended for adoption along the Myanmar border:
1. The checking and
control mechanisms at Moreh need to be strengthened. We could have a
composite
check-post here comprising representatives from Customs, Immigration, Narcotics
Control Bureau and the State Police.
2. The movement of
tribals visiting India could be restricted up to a depth of 16 kms. only as
against
the current non-ratified practice of 40 kms.
3. A road running
roughly parallel to the Indo-Mynamar border needs to be constructed.
4. The border should be
guarded by the Assam Rifles; BSF contingent deployed along 31.50 kms. of
the
border in Mizoram may be utilized elsewhere.
India-Nepal Border
Nepal’s
location between India and China gives it geo-strategic importance. The British
regarded Nepal as a buffer between the Indian and Russian empires. With the
seizure of power by the Communists in China in 1949 and their annexation of
Tibet in 1950, it became essential for India to strengthen its historical links
with Nepal. Accordingly, the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship was
signed in 1950. The Treaty bound the two countries through socio-cultural and
economic ties.
The
1,751 km. long India-Nepal border has been fully exploited by all kinds of
anti-social and anti-national elements for different activities like
l smuggling of commercial items
l drug trafficking
l smuggling of weapons
l espionage activities of ISI and
l trans-border movement of Maoists/Naxalites
The
Pak mission and particularly its ISI use Kathmandu as a launching pad for
subversive activities directed against India. Militants of different hues,
particularly the Kashmiris, are given fake passports, extended transit
facilities, and provided with weapons to launch attacks on the Indian State. The
ISI is also reported to have purchased benami land in the Terai area.
There is sizeable Muslim population all along the border and large number of madarsas
have come up in the area. The ISI has also been involved in pumping in
counterfeit Indian currency from Nepal. The hijacking of the Indian Airlines
plane IC-814 after it left the Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu in
December 2000 brought into focus Pakistan’s subversive activities in the
Himalayan Kingdom.
The
ongoing Maoist insurgency has added a new dimension to the Indo-Nepal relations.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War and the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist), in a joint statement released to the press on July 8,
2000 appealed “to the people of both Nepal and India to rise unitedly to
oppose the fascist and genocidal policies of the Indian ruling classes and their
lackeys, including the Nepali ruling classes, and fight for the freedom of both
countries from the imperialists’ onslaught and against the strategies of
Indian expansionism, and for the total liberation of the masses from the
clutches of domestic reaction.” The Nepalese Maoists have been using India as
a sanctuary. The Indian Naxalites, on the other hand, have been going to Nepal
to acquire weapons and ammunition from their Nepalese comrades. Their plan to
carve out a ‘Compact Revolutionary Zone’ extending from Nepal through Bihar
and the Dandakaranya region to Andhra Pradesh gives a sinister dimension to the
Maoist threat to both India and Nepal.
The Group of Ministers, in their
report ‘Reforming the National Security System’ (2001), recommended that, to
improve security along the India-Nepal border, the existing police stations in
the border areas be suitably upgraded and strengthened, the number of
immigration check-posts increased to cover all the transit points, and the
preventive duties of the Customs integrated with that of the DRI.
The Government of India recently
deployed the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) along Nepal and Bhutan borders to improve
border management along the Himalayan frontier. The Force is presently covering
a stretch of 1,751 kms of international border along Indo-Nepal border and about
100 kms. along the Indo-Bhutan border.
India-Bhutan Border
Bhutan is a land-locked country
which has been described as the Himalayan staircase between India and Tibet. It
is about the size of Switzerland and has a succession of lofty and rugged
mountains, generally from north to south and separated by deep valleys. There
are dense forests on the Bhutanese side while, on the Indian side, it is largely
hilly along Arunachal and Sikkim borders and generally plain on the Assam side.
The India-Bhutan Treaty of 1949
provides for free movement of the nationals of both the countries and, under
Article 2, Bhutan is required to consult India in the conduct of its external
relations. India is responsible for Bhutan’s security and an Indian Military
Training Team is based in Bhutan to provide training to its security forces.
The India-Bhutan border, which
has a length of 699 kms., has been one of the most peaceful borders, though
lately some militant groups of the northeast – the United Liberation Front of
Assam (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Kamtapur
Liberation Organization (KLO) - were using the contiguous areas of Bhutan for
shelter and refuge. The Government of Bhutan undertook a major operation towards
the end of 2003 to drive away these militants from its territory. The operation
was quite successful and the Government of India gratefully acknowledged it.
The Task Force on Border
Management has recommended that
l police and administrative presence on both sides of the
border should be strengthened,
l Bhutanese soil should not be allowed to be used by anti-India insurgent
groups, and
l all important routes, both land and riverine connecting
India and Bhutan, be covered by the
counter-insurgency network.
Maritime Borders
India has maritime borders with
seven countries, namely Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar,
Thailand and Indonesia. We have been able to demarcate the boundaries with all
the countries except Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is dispute in Sir Creek with
Pakistan and in New Moore islands with Bangladesh.
The problems along the maritime
borders generally fall under three categories:
l Smuggling
l Storage/Dumping of Arms
l Trafficking in Narcotics
The Government of India raised
the Coast Guard on August 19, 1978 “for ensuring the security of the maritime
zones of India with a view to the protection of maritime and other national
interests in such zones and for matters connected therewith”. Earlier, the
Government of India had already enacted the ‘Maritime Zones Act’ on August
25, 1976 bringing the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), an area of 2.01
million square kilometres within the national jurisdiction.
The Coast Guard had a modest
beginning with two old frigates seconded by the Navy and five small patrol
vessels from the MHA. It has since acquired 50 ships/vessels, 24 Dornier
aircrafts and 35 helicopters/interceptor crafts.
Conclusion
There are huge challenges of
border management along the entire length of our borders. These need to be
appropriately addressed. Our neglect of the borders has been fully exploited by
the neighbouring countries. China humiliated us. Pakistan has been bleeding us.
Bangladesh has been transferring its population to us and even sheltering
insurgents from the north-east. And now even Nepal has ceased to be the friendly
neighbour that it was.
We need to adopt a three-pronged
approach to deal with the multifarious problems of border management:
1.
Demarcate the undefined borders through bilateral negotiations and
resolve irritants like ‘enclaves’
or adverse possessions.
2. Enforce stringent
border controls through the deployment of additional manpower, raising barriers
like fencing, and utilizing the latest technologies to improve surveillance.
3. Take appropriate
measures including armed intervention, wherever unavoidable, to assert our
rights
and uphold our territorial integrity.
At the ground level, apart from
the specific recommendations made for different borders, the following
additional measures could also be considered :
l There should be one force for one border. As observed by
the Task Force on Border Management,
“it is important in making any
arrangement for the border, the responsibility of the Force deployed
on that
border should be clear and unambiguous”.
l All citizens should be given a Multi-Purpose National
Identity Card (MPNIC) and the non-citizens
should be issued identity cards of a
different colour and design, as recommended by the Group of
Ministers. The
scheme should be introduced initially in the border districts or at least in a
twenty km.
belt along the border and progressively extended to the hinterland.
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