Dhaka, Feb. 16 -- As Bangladesh stands on the brink of a political transition, senior BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has sought to decouple bilateral diplomacy from domestic reckoning, saying India-Bangladesh relations will not be "held captive" by the presence of Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi.

He made the remarks in an interview with The Hindu published on Monday, a day before the BNP is set to form the government after securing an absolute majority in the national election.

The Indian English daily said the BNP secretary general gave the interview in Dhaka at the party headquarters in Gulshan.

Fakhrul said Dhaka would pursue the legal process against the deposed prime minister over alleged human rights violations during the July...