Bangladesh's Newly Elected PM Pledges to Safeguard Minorities
"We want to turn this country into a safe land for every citizen. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians – regardless of party, opinion, religion, or ethnicity – whether living in the hills or the plains, this country belongs to all of us," Rahman declared.
Rahman's Bangladesh National Party (BNP) secured a commanding two-thirds parliamentary majority in the February 12 general election — the country's first polls since a violent popular uprising in 2024 that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power.
Addressing concerns over political exclusion, Rahman struck a unifying tone, saying: "Whether you voted for BNP, or did not vote for BNP, or did not vote at all – everyone has equal rights over this government... As a Bangladeshi, every one of us has equal rights in this country, in this state."
His assurances come amid a deeply troubling humanitarian backdrop. The outgoing interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus faced sustained criticism for its handling of a surge in attacks targeting Bangladesh's Hindu population and other religious minorities.
The scale of the violence has been extensively documented. Rights organization Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) reported 21 lynching incidents and 28 mob beatings in January 2026 alone, according to a PTI report. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council recorded 522 communal attacks throughout 2025, including the murders of 116 minority faith members — predominantly Hindus — between June 2025 and January 2026.
The crisis has drawn sharp regional concern. India withdrew the families of its diplomatic personnel stationed in Bangladesh last month as a precautionary measure, simultaneously ramping up security at its diplomatic missions amid the ongoing unrest. In December, New Delhi formally urged Dhaka's interim government to take concrete steps to protect minorities following the killing of a political activist that further inflamed tensions in the capital.
Rahman also vowed Wednesday to reinforce the rule of law across the South Asian nation — a commitment his administration will face immediate pressure to translate into action.
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