Bangladesh's relations with India will not be stuck on a 'single issue': Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that Bangladesh's relations with India should not be stuck on a single issue. In an interview with Indian media outlet The Hindu, he said that even though ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is staying in India, it should not be an obstacle in advancing the broader relations between the two countries.

Fakhrul said that there are allegations of serious human rights violations against Sheikh Hasina and there is a public demand to punish her. According to him, India should hand her over to Bangladesh. However, he clarified that even if Sheikh Hasina is not sent back, it will not be an obstacle in building overall bilateral relations including trade and development. 'We want to build better relations,' he said.

BNP is going to form the government after winning two-thirds of the seats in the 13th National Assembly elections. Fakhrul gave this interview to The Hindu at the party office in Gulshan amid preparations for the swearing-in ceremony of new MPs and the cabinet. He said, "The priority will be to quickly advance projects related to Bangladesh's interests and strengthen development partnerships with India."

Sheikh Hasina has been in India since the 2024 coup. The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh has sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity in suppressing the movement. The interim government has requested her extradition several times, but there has been no positive response from Delhi in the last 17 months.

Mirza Fakhrul said that the legal process underway against Sheikh Hasina and those associated with her government on charges of murder and crimes during the coup will continue. However, even though there are "many complex issues" in the India-Bangladesh relationship, areas of cooperation should not be closed. Citing an example, he said that there are also many complications between the United States and China, yet they are working in mutual interest.

Citing a historical context, he reminded that after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were killed in August 1975, his two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were in India. At that time, BNP founder and then President Ziaur Rahman visited India and Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai also came to Dhaka. He also mentioned that Ziaur Rahman visited Delhi in January 1980 and met Indira Gandhi. In his words, this is a statesmanlike approach.

Regarding the unresolved issues between the two countries, Fakhrul said, ‘The Ganges Water Sharing Agreement must be renewed by next year and the Farakka water sharing issue will come up for discussion. Discussions are also needed on the killings on the border.’

‘We cannot wage war with India. We have to talk. Those who talk about war are talking like madmen,’ he commented.

Like BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul also advocates running the state on the basis of compromise. He said, ‘The spirit of revenge and violence is harmful to a healthy democratic environment.’ He alleged that after the violence of August 2024, the interim government could not establish a compromise at the national level; Because Professor Muhammad Yunus was chosen as the chief advisor by the decision of the 'leaders of the uprising'.

He highlighted the BNP's 31-point program as a new opportunity for India-Bangladesh cooperation. He opined that the two countries can work together in trade, business, capacity building and digital infrastructure development. Referring to India's capacity in technology education, he said that if the skills of the large number of unemployed youth in Bangladesh can be improved, they can get employment opportunities in the Gulf countries.

The BNP Secretary General also commented that the new government will have to start working on the debt burden left by the Awami League government. He said that various mega projects will be re-evaluated and only those that will be effective in the interests of Bangladesh will be maintained.