After his party’s resounding victory in the Bangladesh elections, what would be BNP leader Tarique Rahman’s priorities?
Shafqat Munir, senior fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies in Dhaka, a private think tank, said “I would say the top three priorities would be number one an economic reset.
“Number two, reestablishing stability and law and order, which has been quite tumultuous over the past 18 months. So re-establishing stability, re-establishing law and order is going to be a very top priority. And the third priority would be healing this nation, reconciliation, healing the differences, uniting the nation.”
Shafqat who was a guest on The Gist, also believes that foreign policy, regional relations including those with neighbours like India, would be a major focus of the new government.
“There is a trust deficit in the relationship, and both sides have to work together on that trust deficit, build confidence, bridge the divides that we have and reset the relationship. When you share a 4000 plus kilometer border, a constructive, productive relationship is an absolute necessity.”
He believes the extradition of former prime minister and Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina could become an issue if she continues issuing inflammatory statements.
“We have seen certain statements coming from senior BNP leaders. I think they’ve made it very clear that Sheikh Hasina statements or statements by Awami League leaders trying to incite people in Bangladesh, trying to destabilize things in Bangladesh is absolutely not welcome.”
He believes that at some point, the Awami League will have to come to terms with the fact that the country has turned a corner.
Shafqat was cautious about defining the so called “anti-Indian” mood in his country.
“You have seen that India did not really feature in the campaign. People are more interested in domestic issues. People are interested about their livelihood. People are interested about economic development. People are interested about jobs. As I said, the population also wants good relations with our neighbors.”
In his view, the new government will not attempt anything that could impinge on the security of neighbours like India.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Shafqat Munir, senior fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
