Staff Reporter :
The Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, met with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders on Sunday to explore ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and India.
Following the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir briefed journalists at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. “The Indian High Commissioner met us to discuss how the bilateral relationship could be further strengthened,” he said.
During the meeting, High Commissioner Pranay Verma expressed India’s keen interest in enhancing its ties with Bangladesh.
He also noted that India is actively working to strengthen relations between Indian political parties and the BNP, a key political force in Bangladesh.
This meeting marked the first formal interaction between the Indian High Commissioner and BNP leaders since the mass uprising that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime on 5th August. Mirza Fakhrul stated, “India wants to solidify their relationship with Bangladesh,” highlighting the positive tone of the discussions.
The BNP Secretary General also confirmed that India had already established contact with the Interim Government of Bangladesh and is eager to work on improving relations following the political changeover. “They [India] agreed to work on how to bring more positivity into these relations,” he added.
One of the key takeaways from the meeting was India’s intention to design a proposal aimed at strengthening the ties between Indian political parties and the BNP. This initiative reflects India’s focus on nurturing strong political connections with major parties in Bangladesh.
Security issues were also discussed in the meeting, with Mirza Fakhrul revealing that India is particularly vigilant in this area. “They are working on how to solve these problems promptly,” he said, without disclosing further details.
In addition to political and security discussions, the BNP raised two critical issues including border killings and the water-sharing disputes of common rivers between the two countries.
Mirza Fakhrul stressed the urgency of addressing these problems, saying, “We have told the Indian High Commissioner that our water-sharing problems need to be
solved quickly, and border killings need to stop as soon as possible.”
The meeting was attended by senior BNP leaders, including BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, Vice-Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, and International Affairs Committee Member Shama Obaed.
This meeting signifies an important step in India’s efforts to maintain and strengthen its relations with Bangladesh, particularly in the aftermath of significant political changes in the country.