About a dozen regional leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are set to attend the inauguration of Bangladesh’s new government. Sources within the BNP and the interim government confirmed that invitations have been extended to heads of state from various countries in the region.
Humayun Kabir, the BNP’s joint secretary general for international relations, mentioned in an interview with Indian media outlet WION that the interim government is in the process of inviting over 12 leaders from South Asian and other Asian nations, including China, to the upcoming swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, February 17.
While details were not explicitly provided by a foreign ministry official, it was confirmed that the interim government has initiated the invitation process to strengthen diplomatic ties with neighboring countries and beyond. Humayun Kabir emphasized the BNP government’s commitment to enhancing bilateral relationships with nations like India, citing positive gestures such as Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s presence at the late former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral and a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman post-election.
Despite reports from The Hindu suggesting that Bangladesh has invited Narendra Modi to the ceremony, it is anticipated that Modi will be engaged in bilateral discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai and subsequently preside over an Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact summit in Delhi during the same period. The expectation is that Modi may designate a Minister or a senior delegate like Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan or Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to represent India at the event in his absence.