Confident of poll victory, BNP leader urges India to respect Bangladesh's sentiment on Hasina

Dhaka: Expressing confidence that the BNP will form the next government in Bangladesh, a top party leader said it wants neighbourly relations with India with a focus on early resolution of border issues.

Ahead of the polling for the 13th parliamentary elections on Thursday, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) National Executive member Zeba Amina Khan said India must find ways to understand the sentiment of the people of her country on the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

This is the first election since the ouster of Hasina's Awami League government in massive student protests on August 5, 2024. Hasina fled to Delhi the same day and three days later, the interim government took oath.

Opinion polls have positioned BNP as the frontrunner, with its chief Tarique Rahman, back from 17 years of exile in the UK, leading the charge for forming the next government.

In an interview with PTI Videos on Tuesday night, Khan urged New Delhi to work with the people of Bangladesh.

"India must work with the people of Bangladesh. It's not a question of the BNP or whoever. (If) India can understand now, then we are best friends," Khan, who is also an Assistant to the BNP Chairperson for Foreign Affairs, said.

"We are neighbours. We are friends. We should be friends. We have a very large border... So we should look after each other... Why would we have anything against India?"

Khan voiced strong confidence in the BNP's prospects in the election in which her centre-right party is pitted against its longtime ally, far-right Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of now disbanded Hasina's Awami League.

"We are going to form the government in Bangladesh, and it will be with a thumping majority," she said. "And Mr Tarique Rahman will be our prime minister."

She also dismissed speculation about a hung parliament.

On the safety of minorities, particularly Hindus, Khan rejected the framing of the issue. "It should not be a major concern for (many). We look after our citizens," she said.

"It's not a question of minorities. They are our citizens... They all should have the similar, same rights in Bangladesh as a citizen of Bangladesh."

On the question whether the BNP will be demanding Hasina's extradition, Khan stressed, "No one should harbour any criminals, whether they are political criminals, financial criminals, or just criminals. They should be brought to justice... India must find ways to understand the sentiment of the Bangladesh people."

Last year, a special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death on charges of committing crimes against humanity through brutal efforts to tame the student protest that toppled her government.

Khan also spoke about greater representation for women in a potential BNP cabinet. "I hope so and pray so... We have given tickets to 10 women candidates for this election," she said, hoping for more women on reserved seats and in the upper house.