Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said India should not maintain relations with just one party. He said New Delhi should think before giving asylum to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Alamgir said India is Bangladesh’s “biggest neighbour”.
Alamgir said, “Why is no one giving her (Hasina) asylum? India should think before giving asylum to Sheikh Hasina. This will affect the relations between the people. All countries should be our friends.”
Hasina fled to India after the Awami League government fell on August 5 and is staying in a safe house near Delhi. There is speculation that she is trying to seek asylum in Britain.
The BNP leader also claimed that the Indian media was fabricating a narrative that foreign forces were involved in the violence in Bangladesh, which has left over 550 people dead and hundreds injured. The remarks came amid speculation in the Indian media that China and Pakistan’s ISI had a role in instigating the student protests.
“India should not maintain relations with just one party… India is our biggest neighbour. People-to-people relations are important,” Alamgir said. He said BNP party leaders met Indian diplomats at the swearing-in ceremony of the interim government, which is headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
The BNP led by Khaleda Zia is considered pro-Pakistan. India-Bangladesh relations improved significantly under Hasina’s leadership.
Describing Hasina as a “fascist”, Alamgir said her rule had been painful and all government institutions had become politicised.
He said, “There was a revolution in Bangladesh… Around 60 lakh cases were filed against activists. I have been to jail 11 times. Democracy should be allowed in Bangladesh.”
Following the fall of the Hasina government, there have been reports of large-scale attacks on homes and temples of Hindus in Bangladesh.
However, Alamgir said there has not been a single case of targeting minorities in Dhaka. “In my constituency where 35% of the voters are minorities, nothing has happened there. Vested interest groups are working against us. All investments will be protected,” he said.
The BNP leader said Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman would return home from London, where he has been living since the Awami League came to power in 2009. “Tarique will return, but Khaleda Zia is our leader,” he said.