Although the BNP highlights voters’ “massive non-participation” in the January 7 elections as a “political victory," in reality, the party is embattled by internal criticisms on various issues and is poised to modify its strategies. The latest subject of this discussion is the party's foreign policy, which includes the politicization of the anti-India campaign on social media and the formulation of regional strategy papers.
BNP's Foreign Relations Committee (FRC) and Standing Committee members said there is a discussion of giving importance to China. The top leadership has decided to seriously consider the issue of re-establishing contact with China and has assigned a senior leader to take the process forward. However, gathering detailed information about this was not possible.
Several members of the Foreign Affairs Committee said there is a difference between program and policy. Recently, many people have viewed the issue of anti-Indian sentiment as a party policy, but the BNP has shown no concern for it. Social exclusion of Indian products is related to political programs. In this case, it will not be correct to combine the issue with the policies. The main policy of the party is based on General Ziaur Rahman's foreign policy, and it will continue like that.
The Standing Committee meeting on Monday largely avoided discussing the India issue. "There is now a personal ideological battle going on in the BNP on the issue of India. It will not benefit the party,” a senior leader said, asking not to be named.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Bangla Tribune: "I will not say anything about it now."
Several leaders involved in the Foreign Relations Committee said that after the election on January 7, the top leadership of the party is eager to restore momentum in the party. The committee is also involved in this activity.
Meanwhile, acting chairman Tarique Rahman has started discussions with the committee members. In this case, there is no change in the leadership of the committee. These leaders said Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will remain the head of the committee. The top leadership is taking into consideration the issue of new members, a new strategy, the regional desk, regular meetings, and reviews.
They said Tarique Rahman is talking to the members of the committee separately, considering there was an opportunity to improve in the previous elections to determine the political strategy of the future. Several members have already submitted their views on the party's future international relations to him. Some gave their opinion in writing, some verbally.
However, a leader claimed that some members of the Standing Committee had started efforts to make the Foreign Relations Committee a failure. Amir Khosru was arrested on October 29. Before his arrest, he held meetings with the foreign embassy officials together with Mirza Fakhrul and Organizing Secretary Shama Obaid.
Ahead of the January 7 election, the race between the BNP and other political parties in the diplomatic quarter was eye-catching. After the announcement of the US visa policy, some leaders of the Awami League, BNP, and Jatiya Party held meetings at the residence of US Ambassador Peter Haas in Dhaka on May 25 last year. BNP leaders Amir Khosru and Shama Obaid were there.
On July 11-14 of the outgoing year, a four-member delegation, including Uzra Zeya, Assistant Secretary of the US State Department, and Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited Dhaka. They did not hold any meetings with any political party. However, Donald Lu called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who promised to hold “free, fair, and acceptable elections.”
BNP leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan held a meeting with the US ambassador after the election. Standing committee members Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Salahuddin Ahmed joined various efforts in Delhi during the pre-election movement.
Before the election, the most talked-about was a meeting of Mirza Fakhrul with US Ambassador Peter Haas in Dhaka on October 12. However, the “one-to-one” meeting was not acknowledged by Mirza Fakhrul.
After being released from prison on February 15 this year, Mirza Fakhrul, Amir Khosru, and Shama Obaid met with Afrin Akhtar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia of the Department of State, who was visiting Dhaka on February 24.
"The Standing Committee discussed the messages given by friendly countries in the pre-election meetings and what actually happened. The issue of renewing international relations also came up,” said a senior leader.
“In terms of regional policy, India and China came up for discussion; there is no need to mention Pakistan. But there is a problem. The BNP announced its Indo-Pacific strategy paper on October 23 last year. But it has yet to clear its position regarding China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The BNP says: “Our Indo-Pacific vision reflects the desires of the people by prioritizing their interests and aspirations. We pledge to align economically and strategically with democratic nations and institutions and implement domestic initiatives to empower all Bangladeshis with freedom, equality, and prosperity, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnicity, or politics. Our party is dedicated to ensuring a secure and stable Indo-Pacific region while protecting our national interests and contributing to collective security.”
Asked about this, Amir Khosru said: "We have no distance with anyone. The government maintains bilateral relationships with other governments. I do not see any distance between BNP and China. Now the Awami League is in power, so the Chinese government is working with them. The BNP will work with them when in power. There will be no exception.”
Some leaders of the BNP have raised the question of whether there will be any conflict if the party chooses to join both the BRI and the Indo-Pacific Strategy. The ruling Awami League is associated with both initiatives; the government formulated the Indo-Pacific Outlook last year and joined the BRI in 2016.
In October of that year, Bangladesh signed the agreement in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was visiting Dhaka. Incidentally, the Chinese president also met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and discussed Silk Road.
When asked, Organizing Secretary Shama Obaid said: "The BNP is a political party, a party in favour of maintaining good relations with everyone. In my opinion, not just China, we should have friendly relations with all superpowers—India, the EU, Russia, Scandinavian countries, Asean countries, and countries in the South Asia region. It matters both ways, whether we are in the opposition party or the government party.”
She added: "Former President Ziaur Rahman believed in good relations with everyone while maintaining the interests of the country. I also think that this is how BNP's diplomacy should be.
“In this case, the interests of the country must be prioritized first. The people of our country are now angry with India because people think that the Awami League has been in power for the last 15 years through oppression and torture...the Awami League leaders are constantly saying this. This is why the anti-India sentiment has been created. It is a natural reaction.”
BNP’s sincere relationship with China began in 1976. China came forward because of the initiative of the then president of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. Prof Dr Tareque Samsur Rahman, the late teacher of Jahangirnagar University, wrote in the article titled “Foreign Policy of Four Decades” that Zia contributed the most to the question of developing relations with China. “He not only increased relations but also made China's presence in Bangladesh's foreign policy necessary. The significant aspect of Begum Zia's foreign policy (in 1991-96, and 2001-2006) was to give importance to relations with China."
However, during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government in 2004, the relationship between the BNP and China deteriorated after Taiwan's consulate was opened in Dhaka. After the meeting between the Chinese president and the BNP chief in 2016, Mirza Fakhrul told reporters that Khaleda Zia hoped that China would stand by Bangladesh in terms of development.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a member of the Standing Committee, led an 11-member BNP delegation to China in September 2014. The other members included Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed. The following year, an Awami League delegation visited China, but the BNP did not receive an invitation.
Before the 2018 election, three leaders of the BNP went to the invitation of the Chinese government again. The delegation was led by then-BNP Vice Chairman Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku. Currently, he is a member of the Standing Committee and the FRC.
The Chinese Embassy in Dhaka sent gifts to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on her birthday in 2020.
Disputes with China arose again in 2021. The BNP made a statement on December 11 of that year in light of a video speech by the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh.
"What measures China will maintain in its own country is entirely its internal matter," Rizvi's statement read. But the people of Bangladesh have traditionally exercised and will exercise their state ownership through the exercise of free elections and direct voting. Direct voting is the lifeblood of democracy and the only means of exercising people's power, through which the state is accountable to the people. This is the universal way of practicing democracy, recognized globally and by the United Nations.
“Therefore, for the sake of free elections, human rights, democracy, and friendship among the people of two friendly countries, the BNP and countrymen's expectation towards China is that they will always stand by the side of the people who are the real owners of the country, not this illegal government that is anti-people and isolated.”
Clear difference among BNP leaders surfaces
Since this statement, the relationship has not improved much. Meanwhile, a few cartons of gifts were sent to the BNP chairperson's office, but through courier services, on June 23, 2023.
According to Barrister Naushad Zamir, the international affairs secretary of the BNP, the party believes in the “One China Principle,” while the Awami League believes in the “One China Policy.” Ziaur Rahman also believed in the “One China Principle,” which is why BNP is important to China.
