India should think before giving Sheikh Hasina asylum: Khaleda Zia’s party leader

Asserting that India shouldn’t maintain relationships with only one party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.

New Delhi should think before giving asylum to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Alamgir said India was Bangladesh’s “biggest neighbour”.

“Why is no one giving her (Hasina) asylum? India should think before giving asylum to Sheikh Hasina. It will affect people-to-people relationships. All countries should be our friends,” Alamgir said.

Hasina fled to India after the fall of her Awami League government on August 5 and has been staying at a safe house near Delhi. There is speculation she is eyeing asylum in the UK.

The BNP leader also claimed that the Indian media was building a narrative that foreign powers were involved in the violence in Bangladesh that has left over 550 dead and hundreds more injured. The remark comes amid speculation in Indian media that China and Pakistan’s ISI had a role in instigating the student protests.

“India shouldn’t maintain relationships with only one party… India is our biggest neighbour. People-to-people relationship is important,” Alamgir said. He said that BNP party leaders met Indian diplomats at the oath-taking ceremony of the interim government, which is being headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, is known to be pro-Pakistan. Under Hasina, India-Bangladesh ties improved immensely.

Calling Hasina a “fascist”, Alamgir said her rule was traumatic, and all government institutions were politicised.

“There was a revolution in Bangladesh… Almost 6 million cases were registered against activists. I have been to jail 11 times. Democracy should be allowed in Bangladesh,” he said.

Following the fall of the Hasina government, there have been reports of widespread attacks on houses and temples of Hindus in Bangladesh.

However, Alamgir said not a single case of targeting of minorities happened in Dhaka. “35% of voters in my constituency are minorities, nothing happened there. Vested interest groups are working against us. All investments will be protected,” he said.

The BNP leader said that Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, would return home from London, where he has been since the Awami League came to power in 2009. “Tarique will come back, but Khaleda Zia is our leader,” he said.