BNP to invite Modi to Tarique Rahman's swearing-in: WION

A senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has said that if party chairman Tarique Rahman takes oath as Prime Minister, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited to the ceremony.

Humayun Kabir, foreign policy adviser to the BNP chairman, confirmed this information in an interview with Indian media outlet WION on Saturday, February 14.

Humayun Kabir said this initiative could play an important role in taking bilateral relations to a new dimension following BNP's absolute victory in the recent national parliamentary election. He noted that South Asia is one of Tarique Rahman's foreign policy priorities, and the party aims to work towards making the region more influential.

He further informed that despite time constraints, the invitation to the oath ceremony would send a positive message. He expressed hope that through this, bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India would be further strengthened. Humayun Kabir also mentioned in the interview that the new government would pursue a balanced policy in the area of regional cooperation.

Additionally, he said the new government wants to effectively utilise regional platforms such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

It is noteworthy that following the election victory, Narendra Modi called Tarique Rahman to congratulate him and assured India's support for a democratic and progressive Bangladesh.