Ahead of election, focus turns to Sheikh Hasina’s foreign affairs team

With Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poised for the upcoming election in Bangladesh, there are speculations about a new diplomatic team that may take charge if she is re-elected which looks highly likely in the current circumstances. During the recent years Ms. Hasina has engaged all the regional and global development partners of Bangladesh using a set of leaders such as A.K. Abdul Momen and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam but there are several others in the party whose names are also being mentioned by seasoned observers in Dhaka.

With Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poised for the upcoming election in Bangladesh, there are speculations about a new diplomatic team that may take charge if she is re-elected which looks highly likely in the current circumstances. During the recent years Ms. Hasina has engaged all the regional and global development partners of Bangladesh using a set of leaders such as A.K. Abdul Momen and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam but there are several others in the party whose names are also being mentioned by seasoned observers in Dhaka.

Dr. Momen had the task of maintaining a cautious stance of Bangladesh when India took several decisions such as the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act both of which were accompanied by rhetoric by Indian political figures against Bangladesh. He however courted controversy in 2022 when he stated in a public meeting that New Delhi’s help was necessary for ensuring Ms. Hasina’s government remained in power. During this time, Dr. Momen was accompanied by Mr. Alam who represented Bangladesh at many international engagements, including in the annual Observer Research Foundation event in Delhi and similar international conclaves in the West where he was noted for his assertive articulation of the priorities of the Awami League government.

Dr. Momen who has been the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh since 2019 replaced  Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali who was the face of Dhaka’s diplomacy when India and Bangladesh sealed the landmark Land Boundary Agreement in June 2015. Ms. Hasina had earlier appointed Dipu Moni as her Foreign Minister on returning to power in 2009. The speculation on change in the occupant of the Foreign Minister’s chair acquires ground given the fact that Ms. Hasina has changed her Foreign Ministers in all the three previous terms. According to one assessment, Mr. Alam who represents the younger generation of the Awami League figures might get a chance to head the Foreign Ministry in case Ms. Hasina stages a smooth return to power after the January 7 election.

Apart from Mr. Alam, there is Awami League Presidium member Faruk Khan who is also being discussed as a probable. Mr. Khan is known to be an influential figure within the party. In November, he led a delegation consisting of other Awami League notables Tarun Kanti Das and Suman Kundu to attend a conference of south Asian political parties in China.

While the names of Mr. Alam, and Mr. Khan are being discussed, it is also being suggested that Ms. Hasina may use the post of Foreign Minister for a surprise entry of a person close to her. Sources from Dhaka are hinting that the choice of the next Foreign Minister may also indicate the evolving pattern of Ms. Hasina’s plans for the future of her party which was started by her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Ms. Hasina is known to be close to her sister Sheikh Rehana and in recent months her daughter Saima Wazed has become the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation South East Asia. The rise of her daughter has also brought spotlight to her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and there are hushed discussions in Dhaka that Sajeeb who is an entrepreneur with global network may be considered for a key post in case Ms. Hasina returns to power.

The coming weeks, despite bright possibility of her return are also fraught with diplomatic challenges and Bangladesh is expected to remain in global headlines because of both the election as well as the labour court verdict on Nobel peace prize winner Mohammed Yunus which is expected to be delivered on January 1. This verdict is likely to generate some dynamism ahead of the polling for which international observers are pouring into Dhaka.