The major opposition party BNP is reassessing its international affairs strategy following the 7 January general election and intends to intensify efforts to enhance relationships with various influential countries to garner support in their movement.

Party insiders told the Daily Sun that a number of BNP leaders feel they did not receive the anticipated level of support from Western nations to thwart the 12th national election under the ruling Awami League. Furthermore, they express dissatisfaction with the post-election response from these countries.

A few leaders suggest that the party’s international strategy was flawed due to perceived weaknesses in its efforts to cultivate foreign relationships.

When questioned about the effectiveness of their international strategy, BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan declined to comment.
Moyeen Khan, who currently 

heads the party's foreign relations committee in the absence of Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury who has been in jail since October last year, recently met with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas at the US embassy.

Regarding the meeting, he said, "We discussed various issues relating to democracy, human rights, and the current situation of the country."
This meeting marked the first direct engagement between a BNP leader and the US ambassador following the 7 January national election.

BNP sources said the party carried out vigorous movement for last over two months demanding resignation of the government and to hold the general election under a non-party government while they hoped that the western countries will put pressure on the government to stop the election and compel the government to resign.

But the party leaders and activists become frustrated as they didn’t get their expected response from different countries while many countries of the world have been congratulating the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for forming government for fourth consecutive terms.

At a recent press conference, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy asserted that the current government has become isolated from the democratic world and accused it of garnering support from India, China, and Russia in exchange for economic and geopolitical benefits.

Speaking to the Daily Sun, several central and district-level BNP leaders said they believe that the party's diplomatic strategy was flawed and that it should not have solely relied on Western countries, particularly the United States.

They argue that building a relationship with neighbouring India should have also been a priority, but this was neglected by the party's leadership.

Contrary to these criticisms, BNP foreign affairs committee member Mir Helal defended the party's strategy, claiming that they successfully highlighted the country's human rights and democracy situation to the international community.

A senior BNP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Actually, the BNP couldn’t make any firm foreign affairs strategy for long. At the same time, the party also couldn’t create leadership to maintain foreign relationship. That’s why, our party can’t make success in movement again and again.”

The BNP formed a 21-member foreign relations committee in February 2019, led by Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

However, the committee faced challenges, with two members passing away and four new members joining subsequently. According to party sources, some members, including Reaz Rahman, became inactive in foreign affairs activities under Chowdhury's leadership.

A member of the foreign affairs committee, speaking anonymously, criticized the committee's lack of activity, stating, "No member of the committee has any specific activity. The party acting chairman Tarique Rahman assigns anyone in any specific assignment, and the leader just discharges the duty as per directive. That’s why the foreign affairs committee is weak."

The source further revealed that the committee had not held a meeting for about a year, and few members had only attended meetings with foreign diplomats in the last few months, focusing on the 7 January general election, as per Tarique Rahman's directive.

BNP sources disclosed that the party intends to reinvigorate the foreign affairs committee and enhance international relationships in the coming days.