Bangladesh’s BNP set to balance ties with regional powers, US to avoid crossing ‘red line’

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is poised to recalibrate Dhaka’s ties with India, Pakistan and China, while also addressing US concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in South Asia, following its decisive victory in Thursday’s general election.Analysts said this foreign policy agenda aligned with the party’s focus on economic development, even as it aimed to restore law and order after months of political unrest.The BNP said on social media that it had won enough parliamentary seats to form a government on its own. Its key rival, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, however, raised concerns over a delay in announcing official results.Led by 60-year-old Tarique Rahman, the BNP is expected to return to power for the first time in nearly two decades. Rahman, who has lived in self-exile in London for 17 years, is set to become prime minister upon his return. He is the son of former leader Khaleda Zia, who died in December.Bangladesh’s interim government leader Muhammad Yunus was appointed after student-led protests in 2024 toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government.Since Hasina fled to India following her ousting, Bangladesh has urged New Delhi to extradite her. In November, a Bangladeshi tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on protesters.