PM Modi unlikely to attend Tarique Rahman's swearing-in due to prior commitments
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "PM Modi unlikely to attend Tarique Rahman's swearing-in due to prior commitments")
Tarique Rahman and PM Modi Photograph: (AFP, ANI)
Rahman has emphasised national unity, improved law and order, and economic stabilisation in his first public remarks on Saturday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh's new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on 17 February, as he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on the same day. The oath-taking ceremony in Dhaka marks a significant milestone following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) landslide victory in the country's 13th parliamentary elections earlier this month. The BNP secured a decisive majority, paving the way for Rahman, who returned from 17 years of exile in London, to assume the premiership.
Invitations were extended to heads of government from 13 countries, including India, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan. The outreach, confirmed by Humayun Kabir, foreign policy adviser to BNP Chairman Rahman, in an interview with WION, was described as a deliberate goodwill gesture to prioritise regional diplomacy.
"The region is important to us," Kabir said. "It is an important part of [the] foreign policy of Tarique Rahman [to make] this region [an] influential region... Sense of priority in sending out [invites] for inauguration."
The invitations reflect Dhaka's ambition to reset foreign relations after months of strained ties. Rahman has emphasised national unity, improved law and order, and economic stabilisation in his first public remarks on Saturday.
Newly elected MPs are scheduled to take their oaths in the morning of 17 February, administered by the Chief Election Commissioner. Rahman's cabinet will be sworn in during an evening ceremony.
PM Modi's early congratulatory call to Rahman after the election results highlighted New Delhi's interest in fostering a "democratic and progressive" Bangladesh. However, with Modi's schedule firming up months ago for bilateral talks with Macron, including inaugurating initiatives tied to the India-France Year of Innovation, attendance in Dhaka appears unfeasible. India could send a ministerial-level representative to the event.
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While confirmations from leaders remain pending, the larger diplomatic outreach signals Dhaka's intent to strengthen South Asian cooperation during a fragile post-election transition.
