'Interest of Bangladeshi people comes first': PM-in-waiting Tarique Rahman on ties with India
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Interest of Bangladeshi people comes first': PM-in-waiting Tarique Rahman on ties with India")
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman addresses a press conference in Dhaka on February 14, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Rahman led the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) to a landslide victory in the 13th general elections, clinching 207 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad, the Parliament of Bangladesh. The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) won 69 seats, its biggest-ever tally.
Bangladesh's Prime Minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman, in his first reaction after victory in the recent general elections, said, "From today we are free" and "we have paved the way for democracy in the country." He also called on citizens and political leaders to "remain united," saying he believes that "national unity is our collective strength."
"This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy; this victory belongs to the people who aspired to and have sacrificed for democracy," Rahman said in his first speech since the election.
On the issue of ties with India, Rehman stated that Bangladesh's foreign policy will be centred on intestes of the nation and its people.
"We have cleared ourselves regarding the foreign policy, which is in the interest of Bangladesh, and the interest of the Bangladeshi people comes first. By protecting the interests of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi people, we will decide our foreign policy," Rahman said in response to a question on the party's diplomatic priorities.
Rahman led the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) to a landslide victory in the 13th general elections, clinching 207 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad, the Parliament of Bangladesh. The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) won 69 seats, its biggest-ever tally.
Tarique Rahman, the son of late BNP leader Khaleda Zia, only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain. He won the contested elections held after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster in a violent uprising in 2024, which ended her 15-year rule. The Interim Government, led by Muhammad Yunus, barred Hasina's Awami League from contesting the elections and conducting political activities.
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His father, President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in 1981, while his mother, Khaleda Zia, served three terms as prime minister and dominated national politics for decades.
Highlighting the challenges ahead for his upcoming government, Rahman stated, "We are about to begin our journey in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by an authoritarian regime, weakened constitutional and structural institutions, and a breakdown of law and order."
He adopted a conciliatory tone towards opposition political parties, saying, "Your ideas and perspectives are important to us in the nation-building process," and added that, "Our paths and opinions may differ, but in the interest of the country, we must remain united."
The BNP leader mentioned that "A total of 51 political parties participated in this election, including Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Gono Odhikar Parishad, among others," asserting wide participation and the validity of the elections, as critics raised doubts over the ban on the Awami League from contesting polls.
