Hours before the conclusion of campaign for the 13th national election, leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) delivered nationally telecast speeches and claimed the common legacies of the Liberation War of 1971 and the anti-Hasina uprising of July 2024, and pledged to set Bangladesh on track for economic development.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman said the ruling elite of Bangladesh had turned against people after previous elections and urged voters to support his party this time. In a detailed speech focused on development agenda, BNP chairman Tarique Rahman sought forgiveness for any mistakes that his party might have committed during its past governance stints.

Mr. Rahman paid tributes to the sacrifices of 1971 and the anti-Hasina struggle of 2024. The mention of 1971 in Mr. Rahman’s speech has drawn attention as the group is known for being supportive of Pakistan during the Liberation War of 1971. Speaking to The Hindu, a spokesperson of Jamaat for the international media clarified the party’s current position on the war of 1971 and said that Jamaat wishes to “own” both the “spirits of 1971 and 2024”.

“The main issue of 2024 was discrimination by a government against our people and the main problem of 1971 was also discrimination by Pakistan against the people of Bangladesh. That is why we want to own both the legacies,” said Mohammed Fakhrul Islam, spokesperson for international media and member of the Central Election Committee of Jamaat.

Mr. Islam added that the party wishes to convey that it wants to engage all sides and turn a new page in national politics. The legacy of 1971 had been a point of contention between JeI and the BNP with the latter reminding Jamaat that its cadre had participated in killings that were orchestrated by the Pakistani military. Tarique Rahman had in December 2025 reminded that JeI had opposed the creation of Bangladesh.

In his nationally telecast speech on Monday (February 9, 2026), Tarique Rahman also referred to the BNP’s founder Gen. Ziaur Rahman’s  role in the war of 1971, as well as his role in handling Bangladesh after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other national leaders in 1975, and highlighted his party’s role in bringing down the military rule of Hossein Mohammed Ershad in 1990 and the anti-Sheikh Hasina uprising in July-August 2024.

Countering the generally orthodox attitude of JeI on gender issues, the party chief promised that women will be in leading positions if his party is elected to power. However, Tarique Rahman made several detailed presentation that will be beneficial for the women of Bangladesh. In the speech, the BNP chief said his party will appoint 1 lakh healthcare professionals and that out of the total figure of those appointments, at least 40% will be women.

He also reiterated his pledge to make Bangladesh safe for all citizens including its women. He highlighted projects that will benefit students, farmers and women and promised that if elected, his party will enact legislation to deal with cyber bullying and violence that target women. “With your support, the BNP had shouldered the responsibility of governance more than once in the past. We might have committed mistakes unwillingly during that time. For that I express my sincere regrets to the people of my country,” said Tarique Rahman.

A once-banned Bangladeshi Islamist party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in polls in February, is open ​to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief ‌told Reuters on Wednesday (December 31, 2025).

Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the ​Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million. Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP.

“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat Ameer (President) Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, ​days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z ⁠party.

Anti-corruption plank

Jamaat advocates Islamic governance under sharia law but has sought to broaden its appeal beyond its conservative base. Mr. Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.

The Prime Minister will come from the party winning the most seats, he ​added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, ⁠the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Mr. Rahman said.

The party’s resurgence follows the ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024. Ms. Hasina, whose Awami League party is now barred from the election, was a fierce critic of Jamaat, and ‌during her tenure, several of its leaders were sentenced to death for alleged war crimes ‌during the 1971 independence conflict with Pakistan, a war Jamaat opposed.

Jamaat had been banned from elections since 2013 after a court ruled its charter violated the country’s secular constitution. ‍An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus lifted all restrictions on the party in August 2024.

Ties with India and Pakistan

Mr. Rahman said Ms. Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ‍ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall. India, South Asia’s biggest power, had cultivated a close working relationship with Mr. Hasina, helping expand business and trade ties between the neighbours.

As New Delhi seeks to engage parties that could form the next government, Mr. Rahman confirmed meeting an Indian diplomat earlier this year. Unlike diplomats from other countries who visited him openly, the Indian official asked that the meeting remain confidential, Mr. Rahman said.

“We must become open to all and to each other. There is no alternative to developing our relationship,” he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for ⁠comment on Mr. Rahman’s statement. But an Indian government source confirmed contacts with various parties.

Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Mr. Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way ​with all. We are never interested in leaning toward any one country. Rather, we respect all and want balanced ⁠relations among nations.”

He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023. Mr. Shahabuddin, the ceremonial head of the country, himself told Reuters earlier this month that he was willing to step down midway through his term.

Mr. Shahabuddin, in a telephone conversation with Reuters on Wednesday (December 31, 2025), declined to comment on Mr. Rahman’s position, ⁠saying he did not want to “complicate the matter further”.