Dhaka, Feb 4 (PTI) The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would pursue an “economy-based foreign policy” if elected to power in the upcoming February 12 general election, the party’s new chairman Tarique Rahman has said.
“Our foreign policy will be a ‘Bangladesh First’ policy,” the state-run BSS news agency on Wednesday quoted him as saying in an interview with the US-based The Diplomat magazine.
He added that if elected to power, “we will prioritise an economy-based foreign policy that safeguards Bangladesh’s interests”.
“We believe in mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual benefit in our foreign relations,” he said.
Rahman’s response came as the outlet said that there was criticism that during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime, there was an “India-oriented foreign policy” while the United States, China and India had their eyes on Bangladesh.
The Diplomat asked him what would be his foreign policy outlook, to which the BNP chairman also said “no matter which countries we engage with, our national interest must come first”.
The news outlet on Wednesday carried an analysis on Bangladesh’s February 12 elections predicting Rahman would emerge as the South Asian nation’s next prime minister.
The article titled “An Interview With Tarique Rahman – Likely Bangladesh’s Next Prime Minister” referred to several opinion polls ahead of the elections suggesting Rahman to be the next premier as well.
The Diplomat’s prediction came as global news outlets like the Bloomberg, Time and The Economist in their recent analyses called Rahman as the frontrunner ahead of the polls.
The analyses suggested the BNP’s once crucial ally Jamaat-e-Islami would emerge as its main rival in the absence of the Awami League, disbanded by the interim government of Muhammad Yunus under an executive order.
The Diplomat observed the youths dubbed ‘Gen Z’ to be a major deciding factor in the voting, saying "a large portion of voters in this election are from Gen Z, meaning Bangladesh’s youth will decide the next prime minister”.
“And many Gen Z voters are attending the political program(mes) of the BNP, especially those helmed by party chairman Tarique Rahman," it read.
Rahman told the outlet that his party was engaging with the thinking of Gen Z while “we are prioritising job creation, technical education, sports, the IT sector and job market, which I believe resonates strongly with Gen Z”.
“If you look at today’s atmosphere, you’ll notice that most of the attendees in the meeting were Gen Z,” he said.
Rahman did not make any comment on lifting the ban on the Awami League though its candidates are trying to woo its supporters while Rahman said the BNP would promote peaceful coexistence in society and mutual respect in politics.
Rahman, 60, lived a self-exiled life in London for 17 years from where he steered the party as its acting chairman. He returned to Bangladesh on December 25 last year, five days ahead of the demise of his mother and ex-prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia after prolonged ailments.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended her funeral and handed Rahman a personal condolence message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On January 9, the BNP elected Rahman as party chairman.
The Awami League government was ousted in a violent student-led street protest dubbed ‘July Uprising’ on August 5, 2024, which installed Yunus as the chief of the interim government, which is expected to end its tenure following the elections.
Despite the Awami League’s exclusion, Yunus repeatedly said the polls would be a “grand festival", "moment of celebration" and be the "most free, fair and peaceful” election to lay the "foundation of the new Bangladesh".