NA Speaker-led delegation to attend Bangladesh govt’s oath-taking ceremony

Pakistan has received an invitation from Bangladeshi government to attend the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected prime minister and his cabinet on February 17, 2026, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel. 

The heads of government of at least 13 countries, including Pakistan, China and India have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh's new government. 

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is expected to attend Bangladesh's new cabinet swearing-in ceremony. A high-level delegation from Pakistan will accompany him. 

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will not attend Bangladesh's swearing-in ceremony as PM Shehbaz has left for Vienna on Austrian government’s invitation. 

The ceremony is scheduled to be held at the National Parliament on Tuesday (17 February), when the new cabinet led by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is set to take office. 

Reportedly, the decision to invite the leaders of 13 countries was taken following discussions between the interim government and the policy-making leadership of the BNP, which won the 13th National Parliamentary Election. 

Diplomatic sources said the countries invited so far are China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will administer the oath to the newly elected MPs at 10am and President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the cabinet members at 4pm at the South Plaza of Parliament.

However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the swearing-in ceremony, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected government of Bangladesh is going to be held in a different format this time. The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected MPs and new cabinet members has been organized at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad in Dhaka next Tuesday morning and the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet members in the evening. 

Through this arrangement, Bangladesh is going to start a new chapter by breaking the long-standing tradition.

For so long, the swearing-in ceremony of the new head of government and cabinet members was being held at Bangabhaban in Dhaka. There, the President used to administer the oath to the leaders and ministers of the winning party. However, this time, a change has been made to that traditional style by changing the venue. Sources concerned say that the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad in Dhaka has been chosen for the swearing-in ceremony with the aim of ensuring large-scale public participation and making the democratic process more open. It is believed that this will increase the opportunities for direct presence and participation of the common people. 

 Reporter: Salim Reza