President Zardari felicitates Bangladesh’s Tarique Rahman on electoral victory

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday extended his congratulations to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader Tarique Rahman on securing a landslide majority in Bangladesh’s national elections and receiving the mandate to form the next government.

In a statement, the president congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the polls across 299 constituencies, with more than 127 million registered voters participating in the democratic process.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh’s sovereignty and democratic aspirations, President Zardari said Islamabad looked forward to working with the new government to enhance cooperation in trade, defence, cultural exchanges and regional forums.

He remarked that the elections presented an opportunity for South Asia to move beyond past phases in which regional cooperation — including within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) — had been held back. He noted that SAARC, founded in Dhaka in 1985, had faced challenges that limited its effectiveness in recent years.

The president expressed hope that the evolving political environment in Dhaka would foster more balanced, independent and mutually respectful engagement across the region.

President Zardari also conveyed his best wishes for the continued stability, progress and prosperity of Bangladesh.

According to provisional results reported by domestic media, the BNP secured at least 212 of the 299 seats contested, giving it a decisive two-thirds majority in the Jatiya Sangsad (House of the Nation). The Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies won 70 seats.

The BNP’s victory follows months of political turbulence after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The party, returning to power after two decades, thanked voters after the overnight count and called for special prayers across the country.

“Despite winning by a large margin of votes, no celebratory procession or rally shall be organised,” the party said in a statement, urging supporters to observe the moment with restraint and prayers for the nation.