Tarique Rahman takes oath as Prime Minister

UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Indo-Pacific) and Minister for Equalities Seema Malhotra has paid a courtesy call on newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Malhotra met Tarique Rahman at his Sangsad Bhaban office here after he took oath of office as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh at the South Plaza of the Sangsad Bhaban this afternoon. 

Prime Minister's daughter Zaima Rahman, new minister Khalilur Rahman and officials concerned were present during the meeting. [BSS]

Nepal's Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma has paid a courtesy call on newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Sharma met Tarique Rahman at his Sangsad Bhaban office here this evening after he took oath of office as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh at the South Plaza of the Sangsad Bhaban here in the afternoon. 

Prime Minister's daughter Zaima Rahman, new minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and officials concerned were present during the meeting. [BSS] 

Turkish Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Berris Ekinci paid a courtesy call on newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday.

Tarique's daughter Zaima Rahman, new Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and officials concerned were present during the meeting.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury today paid a courtesy call on new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Chowdhury met the premier at his Sangsad Bhaban office here this evening after he took oath of office as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh at the South Plaza of the Sangsad Bhaban in the afternoon.

Prime Minister's daughter Zaima Rahman, new Minister Khalilur Rahman and officials concerned were present during the meeting.

Earlier, the Pakistan minister arrived in Dhaka today to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh's new cabinet led by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman. [BSS]

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu met newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday afternoon, after attending the oath-taking ceremony of the new government in Bangladesh.

Read the full story here.

The government has appointed ten advisers to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday.

Five advisers with rank of a minister are: Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Md Ismail Zabihullah, and Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.

Read the full report here.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladeshi counterpart Tarique Rahman, along with his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman, to visit India at a mutually convenient time.

“A warm welcome awaits you in India,” Modi wrote in a letter sent to Tarique on Monday.

BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed has been given charge of the Home Ministry while technocrat minister Khalilur Rahman has got the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Notably, Khalilur was the national security adviser in the interim government and the chief adviser's high representative for Rohingya affairs.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday that his country is keen to boost ties with the new Bangladesh administration led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

“Thailand looks forward to working closely with your administration to further deepen our cooperation, especially in the areas of trade, investment, and connectivity, for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples,” Anutin said in a message.

He also congratulated Tarique Rahman, the BNP chief, on his party’s recent victory in the 13th parliamentary election.

“Accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” he added.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been named as the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. 

He won the Thakurgaon-1 constituency in the 12 February general elections.

Congratulating Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Chinese Premier of the State Council Li Qiang said on Tuesday that he stands ready to work with the Bangladesh prime minister to carry forward the long-standing friendship and enhance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

He laid emphasis on continued exchanges in all sectors, elevating the Bangladesh-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to a new level, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples. [Read more]

Twenty-four state ministers of the BNP-led government have taken oath at the South Plaza of National Parliament.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oaths, shortly after 25 full-ministers took oath from him.

The state ministers include Shama Obaid Islam, Ishraque Hossain, Anindya Islam Amit, Yaser Khan Chowdhury, Barrister Kayser Kamal, and Aminul Haque (technocrat), among others.

Leaders from BNP’s election coalition partners were also made state ministers. Zonaed Abdur Rahim Saki of Gonosamhati Andolon and Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Nurul Haque Noor took the oaths.

Twenty-five cabinet members took oath of office on Tuesday afternoon at the South Plaza of National Parliament.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oaths at 4:18pm.

The cabinet members include: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, AZM Zahid Hossain, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Md Asaduzzaman, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, Dipan Dewan, Nitai Rai Chowdhury, Sheikh Rabiul Alam, Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, and more.

Technocrat ministers are Aminur Rashid and Khalilur Rahman.

Notably, Khalilur was the national security adviser in the interim government and the chief adviser's high representative for Rohingya affairs.

Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has taken oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered him the oath at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 4:15pm on Tuesday (17 February).

Former captain of the national football team and convener of Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP Aminul Haque has received a call from the Cabinet Division to take oath as a State Minister.

Although he contested the recent parliamentary election from Dhaka-16, he was not elected. Despite his defeat, he is set to join the government under the technocrat quota.

Nurul Haque Nur, the newly elected Member of Parliament from Patuakhali-3 (Galachipa-Dashmina), has been invited to join the cabinet.

Nur, a former Vice-President (VP) of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), secured victory in the recent parliamentary elections from the Patuakhali-3 constituency.

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court challenging the legality of the referendum held on 12 February and seeking the cancellation of its results announced on 13 February.

The writ was filed on Tuesday by Supreme Court lawyer ABM Ataul Majid Touhid in the public interest.

Zonayed Saki, Member of Parliament for Brahmanbaria-6 (Bancharampur) and Chief Coordinator of the Ganosamhati Andolon, has received a call to take oath as a State Minister.

Saki, who was elected from the Brahmanbaria-6 constituency in the recent parliamentary elections, is set to assume his first ministerial role in the new government.

Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and MP for Lakshmipur-3, has received a call to take oath as a minister in the BNP-led government.

Annie was elected from Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar upazila) in the latest parliamentary elections. He previously served as a Member of Parliament from the same constituency after winning the 2001 and 2008 general elections.

Khalilur Rahman, former National Security Adviser of the interim government, has been called to join the cabinet as a minister under the technocrat quota.

The appointment marks Khalilur’s entry into a ministerial role in the new government.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the victorious party in the 13th National Parliament election, will implement the “July Charter” (July Sanad) word by word, said party Standing Committee member and newly elected MP from Cox’s Bazar-1 constituency, Salahuddin Ahmed.

Shariful Alam, the newly elected Member of Parliament for Kishoreganj-6, has been informed of his appointment as a State Minister.

A candidate from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Alam won a parliamentary seat for the first time in this election. He was sworn in as an MP earlier today.

British Minister Seema Malhotra will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected government of Bangladesh later today.

She paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday.

ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, the MP for Chandpur-1, has been called from the Cabinet Division to join the cabinet.

Milon previously served as the State Minister for Education in Khaleda Zia’s government in 2001. He has been re-elected from the same constituency in the current parliamentary elections.

A special aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying an Indian delegation led by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla landed at the Bangladesh Air Force airbase in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.

Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate from Cumilla-3, is set to assume a ministerial position.

Kaikobad, representing Cumilla-3 (Muradnagar), has a remarkable electoral record, having contested six national parliamentary elections and winning on every occasion.

The newly-elected MPs of National Citizen Party (NCP) took oath as Members of Parliament in the afternoon. 

The ceremony began shortly before 1:20pm on Tuesday in the oath room of the National Parliament building.

Newly elected BNP MPs have not taken oath as members of the proposed Constitution Reform Council (CRC) saying that the provision for such council must be incorporated in the Constitution first following endorsement of the Parliament.

They took oath as only members of the 13th Parliament at 10:43am at the Oath Room of the Jatiya Sangsad.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided that none of its Members of Parliament will take duty-free cars or government-allocated plots.

The decision was taken at the first meeting of the party’s parliamentary group under the new government on Tuesday (17 February).

The newly-elected MPs of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami eventually took the oath as Members of Parliament in the afternoon although they had indicated in the morning that they might not take the oath.

The ceremony began shortly before 12:30pm on Tuesday in the oath room of the National Parliament building.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Afterwards, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath to the newly elected MPs.