The induction of Khalilur Rahman, who was earlier National Security Advisor to the then head of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, as Foreign Affairs Minister in Tarique Rahman’s new cabinet, is being read in Dhaka’s diplomatic circles as a “careful recalibration” of Bangladesh’s foreign policy.
Analysts describe Rahman as a figure comfortable in Western policy circles and someone widely perceived to be close to the United States administration, a factor that may carry significance as Bangladesh navigates its relations with Washington amid a trade deal that is seen as lopsided. His appointment as NSA last year had come despite strident opposition by the BNP leadership at that point of time.
“It is surprising that Khalilur Rahman has been brought in as Foreign Minister despite not being part of the BNP. He has come in through what is called the technocrat quota,” said Pinak R Chakravarty, former High Commissioner of India to Dhaka, adding, “His appointment shows that US influence will continue during the tenure of Tarique Rahman.”
However, India has officially welcomed his appointment, and Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar has posted on X his congratulations to the veteran diplomat and said, “Look forward to working together to advance our cooperation for mutual progress and prosperity.”
Khalilur Rahman has during Muhammad Yunus’s tenure as head of Bangladesh, also acted as the Chief Advisor’s High Representative on the Rohingya issue. Perhaps most controversially, Khalilur is believed to have been among the influential voices advocating the creation of an “Arakan corridor”, a humanitarian passage running from Chittagong through Bangladesh into Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The corridor would facilitate aid deliveries to conflict-affected populations in an area that has been engulfed in fighting between ethnic armed groups and Myanmar’s military junta for over a year.
Supporters argue that such a corridor would serve both humanitarian and strategic purposes. It could ease international pressure on Dhaka over the prolonged Rohingya refugee crisis while positioning Bangladesh as a responsible regional stakeholder. Critics, however, warn of sovereignty concerns, security risks, and the possibility of being drawn deeper into Myanmar’s internal conflict.
Chakravarty, however, pointed out that Khalilur, who had been instrumental in the recent trade deal with the US, and hence would remain “valuable to the incoming BNP government, which would bank on him to get better terms in the future.”
The Bangladesh-US trade deal, which was signed days before the new government came in, gave Bangladesh’s textile factories a degree of relief by bringing down tariff and promising zero tariff on garments using US raw materials.
However, it also promised to buy more US goods, including 7 lakh tonnes of wheat a year and a fleet of 14 Boeing aircraft and also forbade Dhaka from buying “any nuclear reactors, fuel rods, or enriched uranium from a country that jeopardises essential US interests”.
Bangladesh’s foreign policy stands at a delicate juncture, and Khalilur Rahman will in any case have a tough task ahead. Bridges have to be built with India while balancing China’s interests in Dhaka. The US, which looms large, wants to curb Beijing’s influence in the region and its newly appointed ambassador to Dhaka Brent T Christensen, has warned against “the risks of certain types of engagement with China”.
At the same time, relations with Myanmar remain strained, the Rohingya repatriation process has stalled, and geopolitical competition between major powers is sharpening in the Bay of Bengal.
Whether the humanitarian corridor, which the new foreign minister is believed to have supported at one stage, moves from concept to implementation will depend on domestic political calculations, regional security realities, and the stance of global powers.