New Delhi/Dhaka, Feb 18 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday congratulated Khalilur Rahman on being appointed as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh under the new Tarique Rahman-led government.
Khalilur Rahman was sworn in as the Foreign Minister on Tuesday at the South Plaza of the Parliament complex, along with 49 other Cabinet members of the new BNP-led government.
The EAM expressed hope to advance the India-Bangladesh ties.
In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, “Congratulations to Dr Khalilur Rahman on being sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. Look forward to working together to advance our cooperation for mutual progress and prosperity.”
Khalilur Rahman was serving as the National Security Advisor under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
His appointment stands out as the BNP had demanded his resignation in May 2025, while heavily criticising his policies.
It came after Khalilur Rahman, during an event in the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka in May last year, was questioned about his US residency.
He responded by giving an example of Tarique Rahman, who was living in self-imposed exile in the UK at that time, and said that the BNP leader could also face similar allegations by the same logic.
These remarks drew heavy criticism from the BNP at that time.
Meanwhile, National Citizen Party (NCP) chief and MP Nahid Islam on Tuesday said that the inclusion of Khalilur Rahman in the cabinet has brought allegations of “election engineering, result manipulation and complications surrounding constitutional reform” into the public domain, reported leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Daily Star.
“If Khalilur Rahman joins the BNP government as a minister, it raises questions about whether he acted on behalf of that party during the interim government’s tenure,” Islam was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
–IANS
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