• New PM takes oath in open-air ceremony; admits task of rebuilding country is ‘immense’
• Two dozen ministers, as many state ministers and 10 advisers appointed to cabinet
• Jamaat, NCP boycott ceremony after BNP lawmakers refuse to take ‘dual oath’ for reform council
• Ahsan Iqbal represents Pakistan at ceremony; president and PM convey their felicitations
DHAKA: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday, marking an important political shift in the South Asian nation following a period of turmoil.
Rahman, 60, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and assassinated President Ziaur Rahman, takes office after his party’s sweeping parliamentary election victory.
He faces urgent challenges, including restoring political stability, rebuilding investor confidence, and reviving key industries such as the garment sector after the turmoil that followed the Gen Z-led uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024.
Breaking with tradition, the open-air swearing-in ceremony was held at the South Plaza of the national parliament building, instead of the Bangabhaban, the president’s official residence.
“This victory belongs to people who aspire to and have sacrificed for democracy,” he said in a speech.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin officiated as Rahman and his 49-member council of ministers took oaths in the presence of senior political figures, diplomats, civil and military officials, and representatives from countries including China, India and Pakistan.
Rahman, speaking to AFP just before the vote, vowed to build on their legacy.
“They are them, I am me,” he said from his office, beneath gold-framed portraits of his late parents. “I will try to do better than them.” He described the “mixed feelings” that overwhelmed him when he arrived home in December — the joy of returning, swiftly eclipsed by grief at his mother’s death.
Instead of celebrating, however, he had to bid farewell to his ailing mother, who had long been in intensive care.
“When you come home after so long, any son wants to hug his mother,” he said. “I didn’t have that chance.” Within days of landing in Dhaka, the still grieving heir assumed leadership of the BNP.
He admits the task ahead is now “immense”, rebuilding a country he says was “destroyed” by the former government.
The Jamaat-i-Islami and National Citizen Party did not attend the ceremony in protest after Rahman’s party rejected the interim governments request for its lawmakers to take an additional oath under the proposed ‘Constitution Reform Council’.
The council intends to amend the constitution following the referendum held alongside the national election.
Pakistan offers felicitations
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who represented Pakistan at the ceremony, also called on the newly elected prime minister following the oath-taking ceremony.
During their meeting, Mr Iqbal extended best wishes for the peace, progress and prosperity of Bangladesh under his leadership and conveyed a formal invitation from PM Shehbaz Sharif to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.
The two leaders discussed avenues to reinvigorate bilateral relations and enhance regional cooperation. Mr Iqbal also emphasised the need to revive Saarc to promote regional connectivity and advance a shared geo-economic vision for South Asia.
Both sides also discussed collaboration between institutions including the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), and their Bangladeshi counterparts to exchange expertise in data systems, digital governance, and institutional capacity building.
Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif also expressed warm wishes for the new PM.
In a statement, the president appreciated the interim governments role in a peaceful, fair election.
He also conveyed best wishes for stability and prosperity, and hoped for stronger Pakistan-Bangladesh ties and regional peace.
In a post on his X account, PM Shehbaz said: “I look forward to close and meaningful engagements with my brother, to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation across mutually beneficial areas and to deepen the historic ties between our two countries.”
Who’s who in new govt?
On Tuesday, interim government led by Prof Muhammad Yunus was formally dissolved through a gazette notification, issued by the Cabinet Division, marking the official end of the Advisory Council that governed during the transitional period, The Daily Star reported.
Although there was no formal notification of cabinet portfolios on Tuesday night, the BNP confirmed that ministerial responsibilities had already been informally finalised, outlining the structure of the new cabinet.
According to The Daily Star, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has been entrusted with the Finance and Planning Ministry, Salahuddin Ahmed has been given the Ministry of Home Affairs, while Iqbal Hasan Mahmud will oversee Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
Technocrat Dr Khalilur Rahman has been assigned Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Abdul Awal Mintoo will lead Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad will oversee Religious Affairs, Mizanur Rahman Minu Land, and Nitai Roy Chowdhury Cultural Affairs.
Md Asaduzzaman will lead Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, while Zakaria Taher will oversee Housing and Public Works.
In addition, PM Rahman has nominated a handful of advisers.
The five advisers who will hold the rank of ministers are Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan; BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed; Prof Md Ismail Jobiullah of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Daffodil International University; and Prof Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir of the Economics Department at University of Dhaka.
The remaining five advisers – Humayun Kabir, Brig Gen (retd) Shamsul Islam, Dr Zahedur Rahman, Dr Mahadi Amin, and Rehan Asif Asad – will hold the status of state ministers.
Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2026