Foreign dignitaries meet opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman

Foreign dignitaries visiting Bangladesh for the swearing-in ceremony of the new government held a series of courtesy meetings at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with Shafiqur Rahman, the ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who has been elected as the leader of the opposition in the 13th parliament yesterday (17 February).

Shafiqur was elected opposition leader by the parliamentary party of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, establishing the bloc as the principal opposition force in the new parliament.

On the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri paid a courtesy call on the opposition leader.

During the meeting, the Indian foreign secretary conveyed greetings to Shafiqur on assuming his new role and reaffirmed India's enduring support to Bangladesh. He underscored the people-centric nature of bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.

In response, Shafiqur highlighted the deep civilisational bonds shared by Bangladesh and India and expressed hope for stronger bilateral relations based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Besides the Indian foreign secretary, several other high-level representatives also met the opposition leader separately at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

The visiting dignitaries included Tshering Tobgay, prime minister of Bhutan; Seema Malhotra, UK minister for the Indo-Pacific; Burak Akçapar, deputy foreign minister of Türkiye; Ahsan Iqbal, planning minister of Pakistan; and Bala Nanda Sharma, foreign minister of Nepal.

According to officials, the meetings were held in a cordial and warm atmosphere.

The foreign representatives congratulated Shafiqur on his election as leader of the opposition and discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral cooperation and regional stability.