Treaties with India harmful to country

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday said the government has done irreparable harm to the country by signing agreements with India, terming the prime minister's visit to the neighbouring country 'a hundred percent' failure.
"The joint communiqué and all the agreements and memorandum of understandings (MoUs) go against the interests of the nation," he told reporters at the party's central office at Naya Paltan in the city.
He said India has gained a lot from the prime minister's visit, which the Indian newspapers also hailed as the achievement of the Indian government.
Condemning the signing of the agreements, Delwar said it is a matter of concern that the nation would incur a huge loss due to these treaties and it would not be possible to recoup the losses in the future.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will explain everything in this regard on Saturday, he added.
Replying to a query whether BNP would join parliament to protest the treaties, Delwar said they would return to the House if the government creates a congenial atmosphere.
Meanwhile, pro-BNP intellectuals said at a discussion yesterday that the country could not gain anything from the prime minister's visit. Rather, the agreements have put the country's sovereignty and security at risk.
BNP organised the discussion to mark the 1/11 at the Jatiya Press Club.
Prof Emajuddin Ahmed said the joint communiqué does not have anything good for our country and some of its clauses go against the interests of the country.
The BNP should identify those clauses and explained them to the people, he added.
BNP Vice President Justice TH Khan said BNP with all its might should safeguard the country's sovereignty and security, which are now at risk.
He also said the military-backed caretaker government tried to split the BNP and tortured the leaders and workers of the party following the 1/11.
Press Club President Shawkat Mahmud said the conspiracy of 1/11 is still going on and it has a link with the prime minister's visit to India.
BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the discussion.