BNP eyes economic diversification by making Bangladesh global supply hub for e-commerce giants: Tarique tells FT
Tarique also said he would pursue a “Bangladesh before all” foreign policy.
Highlights:
- Tarique says he'll return to contest election, predicting BNP landslide
- Plans to diversify economy beyond garments into global e-commerce
- Vows a 'Bangladesh before all' policy to reset ties with India
- Pledges to end culture of political revenge
Acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman has outlined aspects of a future economic plan, saying Bangladesh must diversify beyond garment exports by becoming a global "supply hub" for e-commerce giants such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba.
In an interview with the Financial Times published today (6 October), Tarique also said he would pursue a "Bangladesh before all" foreign policy with India, seeking to reset what he described as a "one-sided" relationship that historically favoured ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government.
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Tarique, who has been in exile in the United Kingdom since 2008, said he plans to return to Bangladesh to contest the upcoming national election, expressing confidence that his party would secure a sweeping majority.
"We are confident we will win," he told the British daily. "We strongly believe that we are in the position to form the government alone."
"I think the time is very close for my return to Bangladesh," he added.
The BNP leader also insisted that the student-led July mass uprising, which toppled Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian regime last year, could not be fully realised until a free and "credible" vote was held.
According to the FT, whoever leads Bangladesh's next government will have to confront a fragile economy, with the country's vital garment sector hit by US tariffs, and a damaged relationship with neighbouring India, where ousted prime minister Hasina has fled.
Tarique is widely expected to emerge as a prime ministerial candidate after the February vote, with polls showing the BNP is the frontrunner. The interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, has banned Hasina's Awami League from political activities.
Tarique echoed claims that the Awami League is "fascist" and said the BNP was ready to form a government with other parties, including a new party led by students who were on the front lines of last year's uprising.
"We will welcome them into politics," he told FT. "They are young, they have a future."
Tarique claimed that corruption charges against him were politically motivated. He vowed that a new BNP government would end the cycle of retaliation, saying the party has already disciplined or expelled 7,000 members for such wrongdoing since August 2024.
However, he was evasive when asked about allowing the Awami League, still believed to have significant popular support, to rejoin politics. "If they are convicted as criminals, then how can the Awami League ... contest the election," he said, referring to party leaders currently facing charges.
Tarique said that if elected, he would continue the Yunus administration's efforts to recover billions of dollars allegedly siphoned overseas by people close to Hasina.
During the BNP's previous time in power, however, Bangladesh was ranked the world's most corrupt country for five consecutive years by Transparency International.
A leaked 2008 US diplomatic cable described Tarique as "a symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics" and claimed he was known for "flagrantly and frequently demanding bribes", according to the FT.
Asked about the BNP's past record, Tarique acknowledged that "any government has some flaws" but defended its performance on corruption, noting that it established Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission.
He said that "false narratives" spread by Bangladeshi media "formed the basis of the US cable", adding that all the cases against him have since been dropped.
