Iqbal to attend BD PM’s oath taking

ISLAMABAD:

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal will represent Pakistan at the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh’s newly elected prime minister on February 17, confirmed a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

According to a post on X by the Foreign Office, the new premier of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), will take the oath on February 17 in Dhaka.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was invited to attend the ceremony, but he will be unable to participate due to his official visit to Austria. In his place, Iqbal will travel to Dhaka and represent the Government and people of Pakistan at the event.

“Pakistan’s participation in the ceremony reflects its support for Bangladesh’s democratic process and underscores its commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, ” the FO statement said.

Read: BNP says open to fostering ‘forward-looking relationship with Pakistan’ after election win

The centre-right BNP has achieved a landslide victory in parliament on Friday, just 18 months after mass protests led to the removal of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

In the historic general election, the BNP secured over two-thirds of parliamentary seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami, the nation’s main religious party, finished second. Tarique Rahman, the BNP leader, is poised to become the next prime minister, facing the dual challenges of reviving the economy and restoring democratic institutions.