Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, visits the historic Amber Fort near Jaipur in India on Wednesday. — AFP photo

The leader of the opposition and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is happy over the outcome of her visit to India.
Khaleda Zia is happy over the outcome of her visit, BNP chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told New Age on Wednesday.
Clearly, the Indian government and leaders evinced keen interest in improving the relations with BNP, said political observers here.
It reflects a visible change in the Indian mindset to limit its relations with a certain political party in Bangladesh, they said.
BNP itself thinks it got positive response from both the government as well as the opposition party in India during Khaleda’s series of meetings over the last three days.
She met Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, new external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and senior BJP leader LK Advani.
During one-to-one talks with Khaleda Zia at his Racecourse Road official residence prime minister Manmohan Singh repeatedly assured her that India does not want to build its relations with a certain party, said one of her close aides.
Khaleda praised Manmohan as a wise leader and successful prime minister of India.
During his meeting with the former Bangladesh prime minister, Salman Khurshid said Bangladesh was vital for India.
It was Salman’s first interaction with a political leader from a foreign country since taking the responsibility as India’s new foreign minister.
The Indian foreign minister hosted a luncheon in honour of Khaleda Zia at Hyderabad House where the Indian government entertains visiting foreign heads of government.
During her discussions with the Indian leaders Khaleda called for stopping killings of Bangladesh citizens by Indian BSF as a matter of priority and raised the issues of resolving outstanding bilateral issues including sharing of Teesta waters, exchange of enclaves and territories in adverse possession to end the sufferings of the citizens of both the countries living there, abandoning the controversial Tipaimukh dam, implementation of land boundary agreement and reducing the yawning trade imbalance.
On the border killings, prime minister Manmohan conveyed the sentiment to Khaleda that he did not condone even a single death in the border areas.
He also said every mechanism would be put in place to stop the killings in the frontier.
On sharing Teesta waters, Salman, a former Indian water resources minister, said he would take up the issue with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Benarjee and other
stakeholders to settle the matter.
On the first day of her visit to New Delhi on October 28, Khaleda had her first interactions with Sushma Swaraj who received her at her residence cordially and intimately.
Sushma’s daughter Bansuri Swaraj served food to Khaleda and her entourage members.
The gesture of Oxford educated Bansuri, a Barrister, touched Khaleda Zia.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited cabinet ministers, leaders of different political parties of India at the luncheon he hosted in honour of Khaleda at his official residence.
BNP delegation members said Khaleda’s visit to India paved the way for her to have better interactions with the Indian leaders.
They also think that the visit was also a positive spade work for fostering better political understanding between the politicians of the two neighbouring countries which would be useful in resolving the outstanding issues between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Khaleda’s meeting with Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, earlier set for October 28, is expected to be rescheduled before her departure for Dhaka on November 3.
Pranab is now on a tour of the southern provinces of India.
On Wenesday, Khaleda arrived in the pink-city famed Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan province from New Delhi by road.
In Jaipur, Khaleda visited some historical places including Amer Fort.
A warm reception was accorded to her on her arrival at the historic Rambagh Palace where she would halt for two days.
Khaleda attended a dinner at Rambagh palace hosted by Rajasthan industries minister Rajendra Parkh.
She leaves for Ajmer on Thursday to offer prayers at the Dargah of sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinudin Hasan Chisty.