Ahsan Iqbal to attend new Bangladesh govt’s oath-taking ceremony

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal will attend the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to be held in Dhaka tomorrow.

In a statement, the foreign office said the Prime Minister will not be able to attend the ceremony due to a prior overseas engagement.

The Foreign Office said 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. 

Bangladesh’s prime minister-in-waiting Rahman will take the oath on Tuesday, following his landslide election win last week.

Invitations have been extended to the heads of several South Asian and Muslim countries, including Pakistan, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Malaysia.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Electoral Commission.

Rehman, 60, the chief of BNP and the scion of one of the most powerful political dynasties, is set to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people after sweeping elections on Thursday.