India won’t trust pro-Pakistan BNP: Imam

HT Imam, political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, today termed BNP as “pro-Pakistan and pro-China” political party and urged New Delhi not to give it any leeway.

While responding to queries after a discussion on “Indo-Bangladesh: Historical and Contemporary Perspective” organised by a leading think-tank Observer Research Foundation, Imam alleged that the BNP has worked against India's interests.

HT Imam wrapped up his three-day visit to New Delhi today.

Claiming that he does not think any sensible government in India or in Bangladesh will ever tolerate the party, Imam said both Bangladesh and India will have to deal with BNP together.

Read more: BNP LEADERS' INDIA TRIP

Replying to a question on a recent visit by a three-member BNP delegation to Delhi, Imam alleged that the BNP has been “anti-India right from the beginning and tried to collude with Pakistan and China to harm India”.

“BNP has turned into an extended part of Jamaat-e-Islami today. It should not be allowed to operate in your country. I know some of the BNP leaders had visited India. If you see their record, they are not only pro-Pakistan but also extremely pro-China and they work together against the interests of India,” he said.

Imam said BNP will not succeed in swaying India to its side because New Delhi will not give any leeway to a party “which has worked against its interests and whose leaders are pro-Pakistan and have links with terrorists”. 

The BNP delegation led by Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, member of the party’s National Standing Committee, interacted with ORF and some other think-tanks in Delhi in June.

Expressing hope that the Teesta river water-sharing deal would be signed with India soon, Imam said the issue was no longer an irritant in bilateral relations or for the governments in the two countries.

He, however, said it was true the Teesta issue has remained unresolved but cooperation between India and Bangladesh in other areas has expanded remarkably.

Imam conceded that the BNP will try to make an issue out of the unresolved Teesta issue ahead of the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh but that would be taken care of.

“An agreement on Teesta will be signed today or tomorrow. Let us be patient. It is no longer a problem between the two neighbours. This is because of the goodwill shared by the two governments. This is what Sheikh Hasina has also said,” Imam said adding “problems can only be sorted out through discussions and mutual help”.

“We are taking the problems one by one and trying to solve these," he added.

Imam added that BNP will take part in the coming elections, otherwise they will lose registration as a political party.