New Delhi's diplomatic skills and US pragmatism almost made Jamaat a possible "sacrificial goat"

 

Going by poll outcome and general estimates, the election in Bangladesh has certainly passed the test.

Looking at the results; one can presumably state that New Delhi's diplomatic skills and US pragmatism almost made Jamaat a possible "sacrificial goat".

The Jamaat actually came very close to power, yet its dreams of capturing power failed.

People rejected ultra radicalism and showed determination that 'Bengali nationalism' was key to the national ethos. A far fetched view would be the second Afghanistan not possible in the region at least as of now. 

The appointment of Khalilur Rahman as new foreign minister may be little puzzling. He getd the post for his expertise rather than as a party politician. He is not a member of parliament.

He served as national security adviser in the interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus. The western lobby could have pitched for his berth and portfolio. He also studied in JNU, Delhi. 

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When Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced on February 12 that India would receive the same concessional duty access on garment exports to the US as Bangladesh, alarm bells rang across Dhaka’s garment districts. 

Are we mixing up things or the nature of geo-polity is such ? It's a well known fact that in geo strategy; there is no permanent friend or enemy.

At times; mutual interests matter a lot and often self interest reins supreme. 

The Donald Trump administration’s proposal to offer zero reciprocal tariffs on garments made from US cotton and man-made fibre, previously a distinctive advantage for Bangladesh, will now extend to India as well. 

Bangladesh exporters fear the development might erode Bangladesh’s competitive edge in apparel shipments to the US to some extent. Apparently there was hard bargaining between India and the US. In the process; diplomacy and commerce often mingled and also got overlapped.

Image : Daily Star

The Big picture story is Bangladesh begins a new journey. 

In more ways; so does South Asia. 

After over 18 months since the mass uprising, the long-awaited election has finally been held.

Since Aug 2024; things were being redefined. The just dissolved interim regime in Dhaka was not only anti-India; it spoke ill about chicken neck and north east India. Yunus led Bangladesh to stop commerce with India and opened new channels with Pakistan and even radicals from Turkey and Afghanistan wete given access to Bangladesh. 

In the elections; the western lobby and Pakistan favoured Jamaat. Yunus was movjng close to Turkey and Pakistan and New Delhi now thinks this sinister plan is checkmated.

But Jamaat has come a long way. The political reality now is the Jamaat can even force mid term polls hoping to capture power.

Bangladesh has faced deep polarisation, intolerance, and threats to its democratic foundations. Regressive and anti-democratic tendencies—whether institutional, ideological, or political—risked steering the country away from its foundational goals. 

BNP’s decisive victory can therefore be interpreted as a call to reverse this trajectory, and a public desire for accountable, forward-looking governance rooted in liberal democratic principles.

Once upon a time the Awami League exemplified most of these virtues if not all. 

At one point of time it appeared; the Jamaat would sail home as the neo ruling party.

But after India hinted to the US negotiators that South Asia should be left to South Asians; hurdles virtually were cleared in favour of BNP. 

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Tarique Rahman on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s victory and his appointment as Prime Minister. 

“Your victory is a testimony to the trust and confidence reposed by the people of Bangladesh in your leadership and their mandate for your vision to take the country forward on the path of peace, stability and prosperity,” Modi said in his new letter to new PM of Bangladesh.

The Indian Prime Minister also underlined the “deep-rooted friendship” between India and Bangladesh, anchored in shared history, cultural ties and common aspirations for regional peace and development.

But a massive win alone cannot resolve deep-rooted structural problems. The BNP government will likely continue to face economic challenges and institutional constraints for the foreseeable future. This will test its capacity and sincerity not only to govern but also to transform the culture of governance in the country.

 Tarique has to keep fundamentalists at home and overseas will have to strike a right balance between its ties with the US and also other players such as China, Pakistan and even India.

Some of the diplomatic goof up by yhe puppet regime will nevertheless keep haunting Tarique Rahman.

Ends