ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader, Tarique Rahman, on securing higher margin votes in the national elections and receiving the mandate to form the next government.
In a statement, the president congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the polls across 299 seats with the participation of over 127 million registered voters.
Reiterating Pakistan’s support for the sovereignty and democratic aspirations of Bangladesh, the president said that Pakistan looked forward to working with the new government to strengthen cooperation in trade, defence, cultural exchanges and regional forums.
Cited by the APP, the president stated that the elections in Bangladesh marked an opportunity for South Asia to move beyond past phases in which regional cooperation, including within SAARC was held hostage by India which continued to paralyse the great forum that was born in Bangladesh in 1985.
Underscoring his optimism, he said that the new political environment in Bangladesh would contribute to more independent and mutually respectful engagement across the region.
Also read:BNP secures landslide victory in Bangladesh polls, wins over 200 seats
