Hasina's presence in India won't deter Dhaka-Delhi ties: Fakhrul
"We think India should hand her over. But even if that does not happen, it will not be a deterrent to building wider relations," he said.
Bangladesh's relationship with India will not be held hostage to a single issue, and the presence of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India will not deter Dhaka from pursuing broader engagement with New Delhi, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu at the BNP office in Gulshan, Fakhrul said that a future BNP-led government would move ahead with projects that serve Bangladesh's interests and deepen development cooperation with India
"We believe Hasina committed serious human rights violations. There is popular demand for accountability, and we think India should hand her over. But even if that does not happen, it will not be a deterrent to building wider relations, including trade and commercial ties. We want even better relations," he said, stressing that bilateral ties should not become "captive" to one issue.
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Bangladesh's interim authorities have repeatedly requested India to hand over Hasina and several Awami League leaders who fled following the 2024 uprising. India has not responded to those requests over the past 17 months. Fakhrul said legal proceedings against Hasina and others accused of killings and criminal acts would continue regardless.
Acknowledging that Dhaka and Delhi have difficult matters to resolve, Fakhrul said these should not overshadow areas of cooperation. Drawing a parallel with global diplomacy, he said countries with serious differences still work together and Bangladesh should adopt the same approach with India.
He also referred to BNP's historical engagement with India, noting that despite political upheavals in the late 1970s, dialogue between the two neighbours continued.
Looking ahead, Fakhrul said talks would be needed on several outstanding bilateral issues, including water sharing at Farakka Barrage ahead of the renewal of the Ganga Waters Treaty, as well as border killings.
"We can't fight a war with India. We need dialogue. Anyone talking about fighting India is being irrational," he said.
Alongside BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul has also pushed for political reconciliation, recently meeting leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party.
He said revenge and violence would only harm Bangladesh's democratic recovery, adding that reconciliation efforts stalled after the 2024 uprising. He blamed this on the leadership framework set by protest leaders around Muhammad Yunus, saying Yunus operated within narrow limits defined by them.
Fakhrul said BNP's 31-point programme offers scope for cooperation with India in trade, commerce, skills development and digital infrastructure.
"India has a strong technical education capacity, while we have a large unemployed youth population. Capacity building can help them access jobs, including in the Gulf," he said.
He added that a future BNP government would also review large infrastructure projects launched under the Awami League, citing concerns over mounting debt.
"We will reassess these projects and retain only those that genuinely serve Bangladesh's interests," he said.
