NCP calls for dialogue on water-sharing, border security

National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary has urged India to base its relations with Bangladesh on sovereign equality, mutual respect and equitable interests, saying any expansionist or hegemonic vision, including “Akhanda Bharat”, is unacceptable to Bangladesh.

In a post on his verified Facebook account on Sunday, Patwary questioned whether India’s responsibility as a neighbour extends beyond granting asylum to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

Referring to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi’s reported remarks that India had “no alternative” but to grant Hasina asylum as part of its “responsibility as a neighbour”, Patwary asked whether India would also undertake self-criticism over its role in shaping Bangladesh’s political reality over the past decade.

Citing the UN Human Rights Office’s investigation, he noted that around 1,400 people might have been killed between July 1 and August 15, 2024, with security forces using lethal force on a massive scale.

“The people of Bangladesh have long harboured questions regarding India’s close ties with the regime of Sheikh Hasina,” he wrote, asking whether neighbourly responsibility meant only sheltering a deposed ruler or also respecting the democratic aspirations, dignity and sovereignty of the neighbouring country’s people.

Patwary also raised concerns over border killings, citing Ain o Salish Kendra data showing that 34 Bangladeshis were killed by Indian border forces in 2025, while 10 were killed and 10 injured in 21 incidents during the first six months of 2026.

He also referred to Human Rights Watch allegations that Indian authorities had attempted to push Bengali residents into Bangladesh without due legal process.

“If there is talk of a neighbour’s responsibilities, why shouldn’t that responsibility apply equally to protecting the life of an unarmed individual at the border?” he asked.

“We desire a relationship with India based on equality�"one characterised by friendship, trade, connectivity, and cultural ties,” Patwary wrote. “However, the foundation of this relationship must be mutual respect, sovereign equality, and equitable interests.”

He called for dialogue on river-water sharing, border security, trade, human rights in border management and alleged external influence on Bangladesh’s internal politics. He also noted that the Ganges Water Treaty is due to expire on December 31, 2026, and that Bangladesh has proposed fresh negotiations.