Defence agreement with India will be suicidal: Rizvi

BNP senior joint secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that signing defence pact with India would be suicidal one and against the interest of Bangladesh.

“If Bangladesh become dependent on India in terms of defence and the defence policy is determined as per will of the county, we will have nothing as independent and sovereign,” said Rizvi while speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office at Naya Paltan on Wednesday.

Terming the deal as anti-state defence pact, the BNP leader said, “The people of Bangladesh will not accept any sort of secret deal and political parties, different organizations with mass people will resist any attempt to confine us to slavery.”

Mentioning the recent comment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) the BNP leader said, “It is a part of prank.”

“People know well that RAW serves whose interest,” he added.

The comment came from a senior BNP leader after some media reports pointed out that India has proposed to sign a long-term comprehensive defence agreement with Bangladesh during upcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India from April 7 to 10.

According to the report, the pact encompasses training, sale of military hardware and wide range of military to military cooperation between the two countries.

Media reports also claimed that Bangladesh is reluctant to sign the agreement while the main opposition party outside parliament BNP criticized the proposed agreement and considered it as a threat for sovereignty of Bangladesh.

(The article originally published in Bangla edition of Jagonews24.com is written in English by Zahidul Islam)