Dhaka, 17 February (H.S.):

Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), assumes the mantle of Prime Minister on Tuesday, inaugurating a transformative political epoch in Bangladesh following his party's resounding electoral triumph in the 13th general elections.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin presides over dual oath ceremonies at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban: newly elected parliamentarians and Constitutional Reform Council members commence proceedings at 10:00 a.m. in the oath chamber, succeeded by the cabinet's investiture at 4:00 p.m. in the South Plaza, as corroborated by the National Parliament Secretariat via Prothom Alo.

This watershed convocation—36 years since a male premier beyond Sheikh Hasina or Khaleda Zia—crystallizes BNP's hegemony, annexing 209 of 297 seats alongside Jamaat-e-Islami's 68, supplanting the ousted Awami League post the August 5, 2024, student-led conflagration.

India's representation devolves upon Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, underscoring subcontinental congruence amid Rahman's 17-year exile's terminus and BNP's phoenix ascent.

Antecedent thereto, interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, tendering resignation on Monday, February 16, 2026, fulminated against India obliquely in his valedictory oration, denominating its northeastern septet as the Seven Sisters coterminous with sovereign Nepal and Bhutan, extolling Bangladesh's maritime portal as conduit for their economic efflorescence whilst vaunting his 18-month stewardship's restitution of sovereignty, national interest, and dignity, rendering the polity no longer submissive.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar