Already, Tarique Rahman has made clear that Bangladesh’s interests would guide foreign policy. China, India, and the United States are recalibrating their approaches accordingly.
In the late 1970s, Bangladesh was still finding its footing after independence, and Ziaur Rahman, founder of the Bangladesh Nationals Party (BNP), envisioned a South Asia united through cooperation. He played a key role in proposing regional collaboration that eventually led to the creation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The idea took shape in the early 1980s, and SAARC was formally established on December 8, 1985 in Dhaka, with leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives signing its charter.
Fast forward to 2026: the BNP, now led by Tarique Rahman, Ziaur Rahman’s son, has returned to power after years of political turbulence.
At his first post-election press conference at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka on February 14, Tarique Rahman emphasized that reviving SAARC would be a priority. “Bangladesh was the initiator of SAARC. So naturally, we would want SAARC to be revived. The BNP will take initiatives in this regard after forming the government.
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