National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said Bangladesh must be specially prepared to confront challenges posed by Indian dominance because of its geography and long border. He made the remarks at a global diaspora conference organized by the NCP Global Diaspora Cell on Google Meet on Tuesday night, marking the July mass uprising. The party announced the remarks on Friday.

Opposing all forms of dominance, Nahid said India’s influence in Bangladesh differs from other forms of dominance. He alleged that the Awami League government remained in power for a long time with India’s direct support, and that issues including Bangladesh’s fair share of river water and border killings reflected attempts to turn the country into a tributary state.

Nahid called for diaspora Bangladeshis to receive proper voting rights and take active roles in national development and state-building. He said the aspirations for state change cannot be met merely by holding elections, stressing implementation of the July Charter and fundamental reforms in the judiciary, administration, police and economic structure. More than 400 expatriate Bangladeshis from various countries and NCP leaders and activists attended the conference.