Prime Minister's Political Adviser and BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday urged India to stop border killings, saying a stable and friendly relationship between the two neighbouring countries cannot be built on repeated bloodshed along the border.
"Repeatedly turning the border bloody can never build a good relationship. So, the BJP must stop the bloodshed," he said, adding that if India truly wants to establish a lasting and friendly relationship with Bangladesh, it must abandon the mentality of violence.
Rizvi made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the 45th National Council Conference of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) at the IDEB conference room in the capital.
Referring to India's assembly elections, he said it is entirely an internal matter for the Indian people to decide whom they vote for and which party they elect to power. "The people there may elect anyone they choose. We have nothing to say about that," he said.
However, the BNP leader questioned why Bangladeshis continue to be shot dead at the border. "The question is why Bangladeshis are repeatedly being killed by gunfire. How long will this bloodshed at the border continue?" he said.
He noted that despite repeated discussions and claims by many that Bangladesh and India share "excellent relations," incidents of border killings continue to occur.
"Even on Saturday, two people were shot dead at the border. What kind of relationship is this?" Rizvi said, referring to the Brahmanbaria incident where two Bangladeshi nationals were shot dead by Indian Border Security Force.
He said neither the people of Bangladesh nor the people of India want such incidents, adding that the citizens of both neighbouring countries want peaceful coexistence.
"Our people will vote for whomever they want and decide their own destiny. The same applies to India. We want the people of India to live in peace and happiness, and we want the same for ourselves," the BNP leader said.
He added that Bangladesh seeks an honest and neighbourly relationship with India based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
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