Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) called for quickly resolving the outstanding issues with India through discussions to further strengthen bilateral relations as Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on him.

Mr. Alamgir, the longest-serving secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, assumed office as the 23rd President on August 21.

According to Bangabhaban officials, Mr. Trivedi was the first foreign envoy to meet and greet him. “High Commissioner Trivedi paid a courtesy call on President Alamgir at Bangabhaban and conveyed warm greetings, wishing him success in his continued service to the people of Bangladesh,” the Indian mission said in a social media post.

“The discussion underscored the deep-rooted bonds between India and Bangladesh, built on shared history, close cultural ties and strong people-to-people relations,” it said.

“They emphasised the importance of strengthening the bilateral partnership for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two sovereign countries,” the mission said.

On his part, Mr. Alamgir said mutual trust and confidence between the peoples of the two countries would increase further if matters of mutual interest were resolved through fair and mutually acceptable solutions, according to the state-run BSS news agency.

He said India and Bangladesh can work more closely to achieve shared peace, development and prosperity by utilising the capabilities and potential of the peoples of both countries.

“Bangladesh attaches special importance to its relations with India as its closest neighbour and an important trade and development partner,” the President said.

Mr. Alamgir said Bangladesh is interested in building a respectful, forward-looking, mutually respectful and mutually beneficial partnership with India while upholding sovereign equality, national interests and dignity, and the welfare of the people.

“There is immense scope for further expanding cooperation in various fields, including trade, water resources management, technology, connectivity, culture and people-to-people relations between the two countries,” the President said.

The President urged India to take effective measures to ensure a fair share of the waters of common rivers, including the Ganges and the Teesta, his Press Secretary Md. Sarwar Alam said during a briefing after the meeting.

The spokesman said the Indian envoy told the President that his government was taking positive measures in this regard and added that India also attaches great importance to its relations with Bangladesh.

The High Commissioner reiterated his country’s commitment to further expanding cooperation between the two countries in various fields based on mutual respect, trust and cooperation.

The President hoped that relations between the two countries would become more fruitful, positive and people-oriented in his tenure.

Later, Mr. Trivedi met Minister of Shipping, Railways, Road Transport and Bridges Sheikh Rabiul Alam. State Minister for Road, Highways and Railways Habibur Rashid was also present.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a range of issues of mutual interest relating to railways, shipping, connectivity and bilateral development projects.

“They underscored the importance of strengthening connectivity between India and Bangladesh as a key enabler of economic engagement and closer people-to-people ties,” the mission said in another post.

The meetings come amid efforts by the two neighbours to maintain and strengthen bilateral engagement following a period of strained ties over New Delhi providing political asylum to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India following her ouster in a youth-led agitation in August 2024.

In recent weeks, Mr. Trivedi has held a series of meetings with top political leaders of Bangladesh, including Prime Minister Rahman, underlining the need to create a conducive environment to deepen bilateral ties.

Published – September 08, 2026 07:39 pm IST

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A week of fast-paced developments in Bangladesh, which saw Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, widespread violence and the formation of an interim government, has been capped off with the country’s chief justice agreeing to step down on Saturday. While it is unclear when elections will be held, what is certain is that the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the two big political parties in the country, will be playing a key role in them.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Saturday, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the general secretary of the BNP, said that the stepping down of the chief justice was brought about by student protests because he was known to be closely associated with Ms Hasina’s regime, which “killed many people” in the country.

In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Alamgir said that Ms Zia will lead the BNP in the elections if she is fit enough to do so and that the party would work to improve the India-Bangladesh relationship if it comes to power. He said that the attacks on Hindus in the country were a result of some people trying to take advantage of the situation and stressed that they were not part of any “systematic agenda”.

The BNP leader also said he believes that the Bangladesh army will not interfere in the political process going forward and also claimed that no extremist elements were involved in the protests.

Asked about the chief justice stepping down, Mr Alamgir said, “The chief justice is known here as an associate of the former regime, which killed so many people in this country and extraordinary, unprecedented corruption was done during this period… So there was always a demand for his removal. He was not exactly free, fair and neutral and that’s why the demand was very high.”

“The judiciary in Bangladesh has totally been destroyed. It is an institution but, with the help of the last regime, it was totally politicised,” he added.

Election Timeframe?

While Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken oath as the head of an interim government and is seen as popular among the movement that led to Ms Hasina being ousted, the question on everyone’s mind is when elections will be held again in Bangladesh.

When Mr Alamgir was asked about this and the role 78-year-old Khaleda Zia, who was released from prison this week, would be able to play in the elections, he said, “She’s very sick. She’s in the hospital. She’s suffering from multidisciplinary diseases. Her treatment was not going well in this country and we we requested the judiciary as well as the government several times to send her abroad, but that didn’t happen… Doctors say she’s not fit to travel right now and we will have to wait for some time before taking her outside the country. If she’s physically fit, she will definitely contest the election.”

The BNP leader said that while his party is ready for polls at any point, the interim government would need more time to conduct them.

“The entire election machinery has become totally polluted and they are not in a position to hold a free-and-fair election. So they will have to bring some reforms in the election system as well,” he said.

Mr Alamgir also rubbished a claim made by Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, that the prime minister had not resigned, as well as reports that she was removed at gunpoint.

“The President himself, in the presence of political parties and the army, said she had resigned. There was no coercion or anything… It was a revolution. When the mob of lakhs of people was moving towards Ms Hasina’s residence, her security forces and the armed forces told her she had two choices: stay here and be mobbed or leave the country. And, at the last moment, she decided to leave the country,”she said.

Ties With India, Attacks On Minorities

Mr Alamgir emphasised that the India-Bangladesh relationship would continue to be sound and said the BNP would strive to improve it if it came to power.

When the leader was asked about attacks on minorities in the country, including Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, and whether there was a systemic attack, he said, “This is not at all true. When there is a change in our country or any country, especially in third-world countries, there are some people who try to take advantage… In Bangladesh, unfortunately, with every revolution, leaders of the incumbent party are victimised, whether they are Muslims or Hindus. There may be some sporadic attacks (on minorities) but it was not at all a political or systematic agenda. Never,” he said, claiming that communal harmony in the country is “superb”.

UN Involvement

When the BNP leader was asked whether there would be a vendetta against the supporters of Ms Hasina’s Party – the Awami League – or a purge of former army and police officers seen as close to her government, he said that the United Nations has been asked to conduct an investigation.

“If anybody is found guilty of violating human rights, systematic killing of the opposition or enforced disappearances, naturally, their cases will be investigated and they’ll be taken to task,” he said.

Mr Alamgir also said that he did not believe that there would be any interference from the army in the political process going forward.

“People have confidence in the army that they are the saviours of the country. So I don’t think they will do anything which will go against the will of the people,” he said.

Extremist Elements?

The violence in the country has died down to a large extent, Mr Alamgir said, and sought to allay fears of extremist elements being involved in the movement against Ms Hasina’s rule.

“The Jamaat (Jamaat-e-Islami) is not an extremist political party, but there were other extremist groups in Bangladesh and I don’t believe they are in existence now… Extremist elements are not involved (in protests) in any way. Not at all. It is totally (led by) students and most of them are very progressive elements. Some of the people leading the movement are extraordinarily talented. I am certain and I believe that this revolution will definitely succeed,” he added.

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s main opposition leader was detained by authorities on Sunday morning, a day after giant protests against the prime minister ahead of elections due in three months, his party said.

“Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been picked up by officers of the law enforcing agency,” the Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement.

“He has been detained by police officers,” Shamaruh Mirza, Alamgir’s daughter who lives in Australia, told AFP.

Detective Branch of @bd_police picked up BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir from his Gulshan residence in Dhaka around 9:25am today. pic.twitter.com/2kqlvN5x6h

— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) October 29, 2023

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Faruk Hossain said he was not aware of his arrest.

Alamgir, 75, the BNP’s secretary-general, has been leading the party since BNP chairwoman and two times former premier Khaleda Zia was arrested and jailed, and her son went into exile in Britain.

Zia has been living under effective house arrest since her release from a 17-year prison sentence in 2020.

The protests on Saturday by the BNP and the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, were the biggest so far this year, AFP journalists on site said and marked a new phase in their protests with a general election due before the end of January.

More than 100,000 supporters of two major Bangladesh opposition parties rallied to demand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down to allow a free and fair vote under a neutral government.

The BNP’s #GrandRally venue has been packed since early morning, demanding elections under a non-partisan neutral government. নির্দলীয় নিরপেক্ষ সরকারের অধীনে নির্বাচনের দাবীতে বিএনপি’র মহাসমাবেশস্থল ভোর থেকেই লোকে লোকারণ্য।#StepDownHasina#OnePointDemand#TakeBackBangladeshpic.twitter.com/3HYYETmYUf

— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) October 28, 2023

Hasina — daughter of the country’s founding leader — has been in power for 15 years and has overseen rapid economic growth with Bangladesh overtaking neighbouring India in GDP per capita, but inflation has risen and her government is accused of corruption and human rights abuses.

Both BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami called for a nationwide strike on Sunday to protest the violence.

Security on Sunday was tight in the capital with thousands of police and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh patrolling the streets.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)