Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) President Tariq Rahman, who returned home after 17 years in exile, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, along with 49 other members of parliament.
President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Tariq Rahman and other ministers. The swearing-in ceremony of Tariq Rahman was attended by India's Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The country has got a male prime minister after 36 years.
The cabinet includes 25 federal ministers and 24 state ministers. The federal ministers include Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Major (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Abu Jafar Mohammad Zahid Hossain, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Afroza Khan Rita, and Netai Roy Chowdhury.
Those who took oath as state ministers include M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Anindya Islam Amit, Mohammad Sharif Ullah, Shama Obaid Islam, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, and Farzana Sharmin.
Earlier, Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry Secretary Dr. Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Pranay Verma, and Bangladesh High Commissioner in India Mohammad Riaz Hamidullah welcomed the Indian delegation at Dhaka's airbase.
It is worth mentioning that after the collapse of the government following the rebellion against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July 2025, Muhammad Yunus was holding the reins of the country as an advisor to the interim government. Mr. Tariq Rahman returned home in December after 17 years in exile. His mother, Khaleda Zia, was the country's prime minister for several years. She passed away on December 30, 2025.
After nearly eight months of Yunus' rule, general elections were held on February 12, in which the BNP won 209 out of 299 seats, making history.
This morning, the newly elected members of parliament took oath at the parliament building in Dhaka. Chief Election Commissioner A M M Naseruddin administered the oath of allegiance to Bangladesh.
Rahman will take over the leadership of the 17 million population from the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. This transition marks the end of an 18-month interim period, which began after a student-led movement in August 2024. The movement led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the end of her 15-year rule.
Tariq Rahman has promised to restore stability and revive growth after months of unrest that hurt investor confidence in the world's second-largest garment exporter. He has also appealed to all parties to unite in a country divided by years of bitter 'enmity'.