Bangladesh’s BNP Leader Tarique Rahman to Take Oath as Prime Minister on Feb. 17; India, Nepal and 11 Other Countries Invited to Ceremony

Tarique Rahman, chair of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is set to be sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on February 17. Leaders from 13 countries, including neighbouring India and Nepal, have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Unlike tradition, the ceremony will not be held at the Presidential Palace. Instead, it will take place at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building in Dhaka to accommodate the large number of guests expected.

Dhaka has formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India along with heads of state and government from 12 other countries. However, there has been no official confirmation yet from New Delhi on attendance. A senior Indian official indicated that Modi is likely to be in Mumbai on the same day for bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron; India may instead be represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar or Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan.

Although Bangladesh’s invitation list includes Pakistan’s prime minister as well, foreign media report New Delhi is expected to send a diplomatic delegation rather than reject the invitation outright.

The 13 invited countries include China, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan.

Speaking to the media after his party’s election victory, Rahman said he plans to reinvigorate regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He also emphasized that law and order would be maintained under all circumstances and that no actions disrupting peace and security will be tolerated, stressing that the rule of law will apply equally to all.

Rahman called on the people to remain united and urged all Bangladeshis to work together for the nation’s interest.