Goa, May 17 -- Bangladesh's ruling BNP has called for immediate discussions with India to finalise a new Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, warning that future ties between the two neighbours would depend on a fair agreement. The current Indo-Bangladesh Ganges treaty, signed in 1996, is set to expire in December this year.

Speaking at an event in Dhaka, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Bangladesh expected a fresh treaty that reflected the "needs and expectations" of its people. He stated that maintaining strong relations with India would largely depend on the successful renewal of the agreement, also known as the Farakka Agreement.

Alamgir expressed concern over uncertainty surrounding the future of water-sharing arrange...