Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on Sunday told BNP leaders that his country wants to further strengthen its relations with Bangladesh.

He also said India is also working to strengthen the relations of Indian political parties with BNP.

The Indian envoy met BNP leaders, led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan Office here in the afternoon. For the first time, the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka met the BNP leaders after the mass upsurge that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s regime on August 05.  

 “They (India) want to make their relations firmer with Bangladesh,” said Mirza Fakhrul while briefing reporters after the hour-long meeting.

He said India has already contacted the Interim Government and had talks with the government following the political changeover in Bangladesh.

“They (India) agreed to work on how to bring positivity further into these relations,” said the BNP leader.

He said India is designing a proposal to strengthen the relations of Indian political parties with BNP as a political party (in Bangladesh).

Noting that the security issues of both the countries were particularly discussed in the meeting, the BNP Secretary General said India said they are very vigilant in this regard and they are trying on how to solve these problems promptly.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, its vice chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury and its international affairs committee member Shama Obaid were present in the meeting.

Besides, BNP raised the boarder killing issue and the water-sharing problems of the common rivers in the meeting.

"We’ve told (Indian High Commissioner) that our water problems need to be solved quickly... it needs to stop the border killings,” said Mirza Fakhrul.