The new Prime Minister has been crowned in Bangladesh. Tariq Rehman will now take over as the new Prime Minister there. All the formalities have been completed, he also took the oath of office on Tuesday. India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also attended his swearing-in ceremony.

In this connection, Foreign Secretary Misri paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh’s opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami emir Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. The Foreign Secretary wished Dr Rahman all the best in his new role and reaffirmed India’s enduring support to Bangladesh. Also stressed on keeping the relations between the two countries focused on the interests of the people. During this, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman also threw light on the deep civilizational relations between the two countries and expressed hope for stronger bilateral relations.

On the occasion of the oath taking ceremony of the new government of Bangladesh, the leader of the opposition party of Bangladesh and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat Islami Dr. Interview with Shafiqur Rahman.

By placing importance on the people-centric nature of the relations between these two countries, Dr.… pic.twitter.com/UqU8n5P942

— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) February 17, 2026

Lok Sabha Speaker Birla led from India’s side

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led India’s side in the swearing-in ceremony of the formation of the new government in Bangladesh. During this time, leaders of other countries also arrived in Bangladesh for the oath taking ceremony. Om Birla, while meeting Tariq Rahman, also congratulated him and congratulated him on becoming the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Political formation after political instability
General elections were held amid political instability in Bangladesh. During this period, BNP won the elections by winning with a huge margin. Voting took place on 297 seats out of total 298 seats. Of these, BNP won 209 seats. Apart from these, Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting the elections. 4 minority candidates have also won the elections.

In Tariq Rehman’s cabinet, Dr. Khalilur Rehman has been given the responsibility of Foreign Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed as Home Minister, Dr. Amir Khasru Mahmood as Finance and Planning Minister, Shama Obaid has been given the responsibility of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

In a historic change in Bangladesh on Tuesday, Tariq Rahman took oath as the new Prime Minister of the country. Now the command of Bangladesh will be taken by Tariq Rahman, president of Bangladesh National Party and son of former Prime Minister late Khaleda Zia. He has become the 11th Prime Minister of the country. With a bumper victory in the general elections, he will take over this post in place of interim government head Mohammad Yunus.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at 4 pm at the South Plaza of the Parliament House in Dhaka. He was administered the oath by President Mohammad Shahabuddin. Along with Tariq, the cabinet of the new government was also sworn in. These include Dr. Khalilur Rehman (Foreign Minister), Salahuddin Ahmed (Home Minister), Dr. Amir Khasru Mahmood (Finance and Planning Minister), Shama Obaid (Minister of State for Foreign Affairs).

Invitations were sent to this swearing-in from different countries of the world. From India, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reached Dhaka to attend, where they were given a warm welcome. Apart from these, the PM of Malaysia, representatives of Pakistan, Maldives, Türkiye and Sri Lanka were present in the ceremony. Besides, invitations for the ceremony were also sent to China, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Brunei.

The Indian Air force special aircraft carrying the Indian delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker @ombirlakota landed at the #Bangladesh Air force airbase at Dhaka to attend Tarique Rahman oath taking ceremony.

Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary Dr Md. Nazrul Islam,… pic.twitter.com/HBGBIxmgHC

— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) February 17, 2026

Who are included in the cabinet ministers?
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khoshru Mahmood Choudhary, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood, Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, Abu Zafar Mohammad Zahid Hussain, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Abdul Awal Mintu, Qazi Shah Mofazzal Hussain Kaikobad, Mizanur Rahman Minoo, Nitai Roy Choudhury (Hindu leader), Khandekar. Abdul Muktadir, Ariful Haq Chowdhury, Zaheer Uddin Swapan, Mohammad Amin Ur Rasheed, Afroza Khanum Rita, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Ani, Asadul Habib Dulu, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, Zakaria Tahir, Dipen Dewan (minority), ANM Ehsanul Haq Milan, Sardar Mohammad Sakhawat Hussain, Faqir Mehboob Anam, and Sheikh Rabiul Alam.

Who are included among the ministers of state?
M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Anindya Islam Amit, MD Shariful Alam, Shama Obaid Islam, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Barrister Qaiser Kamal, Farhad Hussain Azad, MD Aminul Haq (Technocrat), Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, Habibur Rashid, MD Rajib Ahsan, MD Abdul Bari, Mir Shahe Alam, Jonaid Abdur Rahim. Saki, Ishraq Hussain, Farzana Sharmin, Sheikh Faridul Islam, Nurul Haq Noor, Yasser Khan Choudhary, M Iqbal Hussain, MA Muhith, Ahmed Sohail Manzoor, Bobby Hajjaj and Ali Newaz Mahmood Khayyam.

Tariq Rehman elected leader of parliamentary party
BNP had called a parliamentary party meeting at 11:30 am before the swearing-in ceremony. Completing the formality, Tariq Rehman was elected leader of the parliamentary party. Apart from this, Tariq Rehman met the opposition party leaders including Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Shafiqur Rehman and National Citizen Party convenor Naheed Islam.

BNP will take power with a big margin of victory
In the recently held elections, BNP won the elections with a huge margin. BNP has got 209 seats out of 297 seats here, while Jamaat-e-Islami is limited to only 68 seats. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was not allowed to contest in this election. The election was held on 12 February. Apart from these, four candidates from minority community have won the elections. Of these, 2 Hindus have won the elections on BNP tickets. Let us tell you, Sheikh Hasina was removed from the post due to political violence and student movement in Bangladesh. Since then there was a situation of political instability in Bangladesh. But now with the formation of the new government, the country will again be seen running smoothly under the democratic system.

After the massive victory of BNP in the general elections held on 12 February 2026 in Bangladesh, now the biggest discussion is on the renewal of ‘Ganga Water Treaty of 1996’. This treaty is ending in December 2026 and the new BNP government has clearly indicated that it will now look at this treaty not only on the basis of the interests of the Indian states, but keeping the national interest of Bangladesh paramount. Apart from this, Tariq Rehman’s foreign affairs advisor Humayun Kabir has also expressed concern over India.

What concern did Humayun show about India?

After Sheikh Hasina left power in Bangladesh in August 2024, there have been large-scale communal incidents in which Hindus have been targeted. Along with attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, their temples have also been targeted. But instead of speaking on this issue, Humayun Kabir commented on India itself. Kabir said that communal incidents in India are a matter of concern for Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh feel that India is becoming an intolerant society and elections are being won there with the help of fundamentalist rhetoric, which is worrying.

Humayun also said that now India should accept that the power of Bangladesh has changed. Sheikh Hasina and Awami League no longer exist in Bangladesh. He said that Jamaat-e-Islami could not come to power in Bangladesh because it resorted to fundamentalist rhetoric. Kabir said, ‘Elections can never be won in Bangladesh with such rhetoric, but in India people are voting in its favor.’

The decision will be taken on the basis of national interests of Bangladesh

Humayun Kabir said in an interview, ‘Bangladesh will take the decision to renew the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty on the basis of its national interest. Earlier, Bangladesh has often been cited as being in the interests of Indian states that are linked to river water agreements. We will move forward in a manner that serves our national interest.

The Ganga Water Treaty was signed in 1996 during the time of Sheikh Hasina and it is 30 years old. Under the treaty, Ganga water is distributed between the two countries during the dry season from the Farakka Barrage. There is a provision of getting 35,000 cusecs of water to Bangladesh, but Bangladesh has been complaining for a long time that less water is available during drought. Due to this, salt water increases in south-western areas like Khulna and Satkhira, agriculture is ruined, fisheries are affected and there is huge damage to the environment.

First issue of Ganga Treaty talks

From the Indian side, West Bengal and other states demand more water during drought. Now when the treaty ends, there will be talks for a new treaty or renewal. The stance of the BNP government is clear that it will give priority to the agricultural, environmental and economic interests of Bangladesh. Humayun Kabir said that this will be the first and most important issue of discussion.

This change is also important because in the last 30 years there has been more pressure from the demands of Indian states in the interpretation and implementation of the treaty. Under BNP’s ‘Bangladesh First’ policy, Bangladesh will now demand a more aggressive and fair partition. Besides, issues like BSF action on the border, minority security and trade will also come up for discussion, but the Ganga Water Treaty will become the most sensitive and immediate issue.

Round of tough talks between India and Bangladesh

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Tariq Rehman and talked about strong relations. But the new round of Ganga Treaty is indicating difficult negotiations for both the countries. Bangladesh will now put its water needs first, leaving India to balance with West Bengal and other states. This treaty is not only about sharing of water, but will also be a test of trust and strategic relations between the two countries.