Zara Sadia Aishe and Ayanangsha Maitra
In a striking irony during February- observed in Bangladesh as Mother Language Month in remembrance of the 1952 martyrs, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari’s Office issued a tech-generated congratulatory message that mistranslated “landslide victory” into Bengali as “landslip” or “disaster.” The congratulatory message in Bengali, posted on X and tagging Tarique Rahman as part of a second round of congratulations on Friday, appeared to rely on AI-assisted translation. Instead of conveying the intended meaning of a “sweeping victory,” the literal rendering reduced the phrase to a term associated with seismic catastrophe, which further triggered criticism over linguistic insensitivity in a month historically marked by bloodshed over the right to language in what was once East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
In his X post, President Asif Ali Zardari in his first congratulatory greetings wrote, “President Asif Ali Zardari felicitates Tarique Rahman on BNP’s landslide victory and congratulates the people of Bangladesh on their successful, peaceful polls. Pakistan reaffirms strong support for democratic partnership and shared progress ahead.”
In his X post Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, wrote, “I extend my warmest felicitations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading the BNP to a resounding victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections. I look forward to working closely with the new Bangladesh leadership to further strengthen our historic, brotherly multifaceted bilateral relations and advance our shared goals of peace, stability, and development in South Asia and beyond.”
In contrast to the Awami League’s frosty stance rooted in the 1971 war legacy, Pakistan—regardless of its leadership—has maintained warmer ties with the BNP during its 1991–96 and 2001–06 terms, driven by shared Islamic identity and pragmatic diplomacy.
Tarique Rahman, chairman of BNP, secured a landslide victory in Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament election on February 12, 2026, marking the first polls since the 2024 ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After 17 years in exile in the UK, Rahman won seats in both Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 constituencies, propelling the BNP to over 150 seats, surpassing the majority threshold in the 300-member unicameral house Jatiya Sangsad. The triumph, hailed amid high voter turnout and peaceful polling, stems from BNP pledges like anti-corruption drives, economic reforms via foreign investment, term limits for prime ministers, aid for the poor, and a foreign policy reset .
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