The chiefs of Nepal’s and India’s paramilitary forces will meet in Kathmandu this week for the 10th annual coordination meeting between Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) and India’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), with border security and cross-border crime among the key issues on the agenda.

Narayan Dutta Poudyal, inspector general of the APF, and his Indian counterpart, Sanjay Singhal, director general of the SSB, will lead their respective delegations at the three-day meeting, which begins on Tuesday and concludes on Thursday with the signing of agreed minutes, APF officials said.

During his visit, Singhal will also pay courtesy calls on Home Minister Sudan Gurung, home secretary Kedarnath Sharma and other officials.

The meeting will cover a range of security concerns, including the movement of third-country nationals, boundary-related issues, human trafficking, cross-border criminal activities and coordination between the two forces in border areas, a senior APF official said.

Other areas of cooperation include joint border patrols, boundary pillar maintenance, disaster preparedness and response, action against illicit substances, a review of previous agreements, inter-agency coordination and future cooperation plans.

Officials said the two sides would discuss ways to strengthen coordinated border management, prevent transnational crime and improve real-time intelligence sharing along the 1,751-kilometre open Nepal-India border.

At the previous meeting, both sides expressed concern about the movement of third-country nationals through border areas and agreed to monitor their movement across the frontier.

“The Indian side raised concerns about the movement of Chinese and Pakistani nationals through Nepali border areas. We also shared our concerns about the movement of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals. However, such movement has slowed down recently,” an official said.

Officials from various ministries and departments will also take part in the meeting. The annual coordination mechanism was established in 2012, although meetings have been interrupted by various circumstances, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nepal and India share an open border that facilitates the movement of people and goods but also poses challenges involving human trafficking, drug smuggling, customs evasion, illegal trade and the movement of third-country nationals.

“Given the close social, economic and cultural ties between Nepal and India, the open border facilitates the movement of people and goods but also presents challenges related to human trafficking, drug smuggling, customs evasion, illegal trade and the movement of third-country nationals,” a home ministry official said. “The coordination meeting provides an opportunity for both sides to review emerging security concerns, assess progress on previous agreements and develop practical measures to improve border management while facilitating legitimate cross-border movement.”

The two sides are also expected to discuss corruption, drug trafficking, customs evasion and smuggling, along with joint patrols and the maintenance of boundary pillars.

The APF has established 244 outposts along Nepal’s border with India, while India operates more than 400 posts. The two forces also cooperate in repairing and maintaining boundary pillars, including in the Kalapani area of Darchula and Susta in Nawalparasi West.

Nepal is expected to seek greater Indian cooperation in tackling drug trafficking and the smuggling of goods across the border, as well as more effective information-sharing mechanisms to address these problems.

Joint responses to natural disasters, preparing personnel for emergencies affecting both sides of the border, and efforts to combat the trafficking of drugs, alcohol and other substances are also on the agenda.

The annual meeting serves as a bilateral mechanism for the two security forces to exchange information, review previous commitments and coordinate responses to security challenges along the open border.