BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that Bangladesh’s relationship with India will not be “held captive” over the issue of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since her removal from power in 2024.

Speaking to Indian news outlet The Hindu, Fakhrul stressed that BNP, set to form government tomorrow, will pursue projects that serve Bangladesh’s interests and will not be deterred from deepening development partnerships with India.

“We believe that Hasina has really committed serious human rights violations. There is a popular demand to punish her, and we believe that India should hand her over to us. But not handing over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh will not be a deterrent to building broader relation including trade and commercial ties. We want to build even better ties,” he said.

Bangladesh’s interim government had repeatedly urged India to hand over Hasina and senior Awami League leaders who fled after the 2024 uprising, but India has not responded so far.

Fakhrul said legal processes against Hasina and her associates will continue.

The BNP leader acknowledged challenges in bilateral ties, but urged focus on cooperation.

“America and China have many difficulties in bilateral ties, yet they are working with each other. We should not stick to just one issue in India-Bangladesh relations,” he said.

Fakhrul recalled BNP’s historic role in fostering ties with India, citing visits by party founder President Ziaur Rahman to New Delhi in 1980, while Sheikh Hasina and family were residing in India, following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975.

“That’s the statesmanlike approach,” he noted.

Looking ahead, Fakhrul flagged pressing issues such as the renewal of the Ganges Treaty and border killings.

“We can’t fight a war with India. We need to talk. Those who talk about fighting India are speaking like insane,” he said.

Alongside BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul has reached out to political rivals, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, stressing reconciliation.

He criticised the interim government’s failure to unite the country after the 2024 uprising, saying, “Prof Yunus could not go outside of the brief that the leaders of the uprising gave him.”

Fakhrul presented BNP’s 31-point agenda, highlighting opportunities for cooperation with India in trade, commerce, digital infrastructure, and capacity building.

“India has resources in technical education, and we have a large number of unemployed youngsters. We need to help them with capacity building so that they can get jobs in the Gulf,” he said.

He added that the BNP government will reassess mega projects left behind by the Awami League, retaining only those that serve national interests.