INDIA, PAKISTAN LEADERS CONGRATULATE TARIQUE RAHMAN ON ELECTION VICTORY

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The leaders of India and Pakistan on Friday congratulated Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman on his landslide election victory, and pledged to strengthen ties with Bangladesh.

"I extend my warmest felicitations to Tarique Rahman on leading the BNP to a resounding victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections," Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X.

"I look forward to working closely with the new Bangladesh leadership to further strengthen our historic, brotherly multifaceted bilateral relations and advance our shared goals of peace, stability, and development in South Asia and beyond," he added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi similarly conveyed his congratulations to the BNP chairman.

"This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership. India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive, and inclusive Bangladesh," he said.

"I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals," Modi said.

New Delhi enjoyed a close relationship with former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina who, after getting deposed in a student-led mass uprising in August 2024, fled to India.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen a dramatic improvement in their relations since the fall of Hasina's Awami League regime.

The BNP and its allies are projected to win more than 200 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad legislature, while an alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami could secure 70 seats, the latest counting trends of Thursday's election showed.

-- BERNAMA