Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Common Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering.
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters
Bangladesh’s relation with India is not going to be “captive” of 1 situation and the presence of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India is not going to “deter” Bangladesh from pursuing its broader relation with India, mentioned the senior most chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering (BNP) that can type the following authorities of Bangladesh on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). Talking solely to The Hindu in Dhaka on the social gathering headquarters in Gulshan neighbourhood, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Common Secretary of the BNP mentioned that Bangladesh will expedite the tasks which can be in its curiosity and can intensify growth partnership with India.
“We imagine that Hasina has actually dedicated severe human rights violations. There’s a fashionable demand to punish her and we imagine that India ought to hand her over to us. However not handing over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh is not going to be a deterrent to construct broader relation together with commerce and business ties. We wish to construct even higher ties,” mentioned Mr. Alamgir emphasising that the broader India-Bangladesh relation shouldn’t be “captive” to 1 situation.
Bangladesh below the interim authorities has repeatedly urged India at hand over Sheikh Hasina and a few of the different senior members of the Awami League who fled after the 2024 rebellion however India has not responded to those requests through the previous seventeen months. Mr. Alamgir mentioned there’s a authorized course of for Ms. Hasina and her ministers and bureaucrats who had been accused of finishing up murders and legal acts through the rebellion. “That course of will proceed,” he mentioned.
Mr. Alamgir who led the standing committee of the BNP when the late PM Khaleda Zia was arrested through the Hasina period with Tarique Rahman staying in exile in the UK mentioned India-Bangladesh relation has tough points to resolve however that ought to not overwhelm areas which can be open for cooperation. “America and China have many difficulties in bilateral ties but they’re working with one another. We must always not keep on with only one situation in India-Bangladesh relation,” mentioned Mr. Alamgir. He highlighted the historic function of BNP in Bangladesh’s politics and reminded that following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975, when Sheikh Hasina and different members of her household had been based mostly in India, President Ziaur Rahman, founding father of BNP had travelled to India and had hosted Prime Minister Morarji Desai in Dhaka. He reminded that President Rahman had visited Delhi and met Indira Gandhi in January 1980 when Hasina was planning to return to Bangladesh for her political debut saying “That’s the statesmanlike strategy.”
“Earlier than subsequent 12 months, the difficulty of Farakka’s water will come up below the renewal of Ganga Waters Treaty, then there’s the difficulty of border killings and we should speak on these points,” mentioned Mr. Alamgir including, “We are able to’t battle a warfare with India. We have to speak. Those that discuss preventing India are talking like insane.” Together with Chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman, Mr. Alamgir is in favour of reconciliation with political rivals and visited the leaders of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami and Nationwide Citizen Social gathering (NCP) on Sunday (February 15, 2026).
He mentioned that revenge and violence are detrimental to constructing wholesome democratic surroundings in Bangladesh and mentioned the interim authorities couldn’t usher in reconciliation after the violent rebellion of August 2024 as “the leaders of the rebellion selected Prof. Yunus” including, “Prof. Yunus couldn’t go outdoors of the temporary that the leaders of the rebellion gave him.”
He introduced the 31-point agenda of the BNP as a possibility that can give India and Bangladesh an opportunity to work in areas like commerce, commerce, capability constructing and in digital infrastructure. “India has sources in technical schooling and we’ve a lot of unemployed children. We have to assist them with capability constructing in order that they will get jobs within the Gulf,” mentioned Mr. Alamgir. He additionally identified that the BNP authorities should take care of the burden of mortgage that the Awami League authorities has left behind and it’ll re-evalualate numerous tasks to see which of the mega tasks are wasteful. “Out of those tasks we’ll retain those that serve Bangladesh’s curiosity,” he mentioned.
Revealed – February 16, 2026 02:44 pm IST