Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Meets Tarique Rahman
A Diplomatic Encounter Framed by History, Memory, and a Shared South Asian Political Legacy
ColomboWire Diplomatic Affairs | Special Report
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath’s courtesy call on Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in Dhaka this week may appear, at first glance, as a routine diplomatic engagement. Yet, viewed through the longer arc of South Asian political history, the meeting carried deeper symbolic resonance—rooted in personal memory, shared tragedy, and a longstanding tradition of political solidarity between Colombo and Dhaka.
The meeting took place on Wednesday evening at approximately 8.30 pm at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka. Present alongside Minister Herath were Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dharmapala Weerakkody, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and BNP Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir. According to party sources, discussions focused on bilateral relations, regional political developments, and the evolving political landscape in South Asia.
However, the diplomatic gravity of the encounter was magnified by the historical backdrop against which it unfolded—particularly the legacy of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her enduring personal ties with Sri Lanka, dating back to one of the darkest moments in Colombo’s post-independence political history.
Khaleda Zia: A Towering Figure in South Asian Politics
Khaleda Zia occupies a singular place in the political history of Bangladesh. Born in 1945, she rose to prominence not through conventional political grooming, but through personal tragedy and national upheaval. Her husband, President Ziaur Rahman—himself a central figure in Bangladesh’s independence and post-independence governance—was assassinated in 1981. That event irrevocably altered her life and propelled her into frontline politics.
In 1984, Khaleda Zia assumed leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, transforming it from a legacy-based political organisation into a mass movement. Her rise culminated in her becoming Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister in 1991, later serving two more terms. Over decades, she became emblematic of Bangladesh’s turbulent democratic journey—marked by electoral contestation, street politics, military interventions, and a deeply polarised political culture.
Yet beyond Bangladesh’s borders, Khaleda Zia was also recognised as a regional stateswoman—one who understood the importance of personal diplomacy in South Asia, where political relationships often transcend institutional frameworks.
A Moment Etched in Colombo’s Memory: April 1993
It is in this regional and personal diplomatic context that Khaleda Zia’s actions in April 1993 continue to resonate profoundly in Sri Lanka.
On 1 May 1993, Sri Lanka was shaken by the assassination of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, killed by a suicide bomber during a May Day rally in Colombo. The killing marked one of the most traumatic episodes in Sri Lanka’s modern political history, plunging the country into shock and uncertainty.
What followed in the immediate aftermath was an extraordinary demonstration of regional solidarity. Khaleda Zia, then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, made the decision to travel to Colombo at extremely short notice to attend President Premadasa’s funeral—despite intense security concerns, logistical constraints, and her own country’s internal political pressures.
Diplomatic records from the period indicate that the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s visit was organised within hours, underscoring the personal nature of her response. At a time when Sri Lanka was grappling with terrorism, political instability, and international scrutiny, Khaleda Zia’s presence in Colombo sent a powerful message: that Bangladesh stood with Sri Lanka not merely as a state, but as a fellow South Asian nation bound by shared struggles.
For Sri Lankan diplomats of that era, the visit was remembered as an act of moral courage. It was not ceremonial diplomacy; it was political empathy.
The Premadasa–Zia Relationship: Beyond Protocol
President R. Premadasa and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had maintained a cordial and pragmatic relationship, shaped by their mutual interest in South–South cooperation, non-alignment, and regional autonomy at a time when South Asia was navigating the end of the Cold War.
Premadasa’s foreign policy vision emphasised regional dialogue, economic self-reliance, and resistance to external interference—principles that resonated strongly with Dhaka under Khaleda Zia’s leadership. Both leaders were products of politically turbulent environments, and both understood the precarious balance between security and democracy in developing nations.
Thus, Khaleda Zia’s swift journey to Colombo was not merely an act of condolence—it was an affirmation of a political partnership forged in difficult times.
From Mother to Son: The Continuity of Political Memory
It is against this deeply human and historical backdrop that the meeting between Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Tarique Rahman acquires its full meaning.
Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of Khaleda Zia, currently serves as the Acting Chairman of the BNP and is widely regarded as a central figure in Bangladesh’s opposition politics. For many within the BNP, he represents both continuity and transition—the inheritor of a political legacy shaped by sacrifice, confrontation, and resilience.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Minister Herath is understood to have personally reiterated Sri Lanka’s condolences on the passing of Khaleda Zia, conveying sentiments on behalf of the Sri Lankan government and people. According to party sources, the Foreign Minister recalled Khaleda Zia’s historic visit to Colombo in 1993, noting that such gestures are not forgotten in diplomatic memory.
In South Asian political culture, memory matters. Political families, parties, and institutions retain a long recollection of acts of solidarity—often more so than formal communiqués or joint statements.
Diplomatic Engagement in a Changing Region
Beyond symbolism, the meeting also reflected contemporary realities. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh today find themselves navigating a rapidly changing regional environment—marked by geopolitical competition in the Indian Ocean, economic pressures, and shifting alliances.
The discussion reportedly touched on the importance of maintaining friendly bilateral relations regardless of domestic political changes. For Sri Lanka, engaging with all major political actors in Bangladesh—including opposition figures—signals a nuanced diplomatic approach rooted in long-term stability rather than short-term political calculations.
For the BNP, the meeting underscored its continued relevance on the international stage, despite domestic challenges. Engagement with a sitting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister provided a measure of diplomatic recognition and continuity.
Colombo–Dhaka Relations: A Quietly Enduring Partnership
Sri Lanka–Bangladesh relations have traditionally been free of major disputes. Both countries share similar development challenges, demographic pressures, and security concerns. Cooperation has extended across trade, education, military training, and multilateral forums such as SAARC and BIMSTEC.
While the relationship may lack the high-profile visibility of some bilateral partnerships, it has been characterised by consistency and mutual respect—often sustained by personal relationships among political leaders.
Khaleda Zia’s legacy, particularly her response during Sri Lanka’s moment of national mourning in 1993, remains a touchstone in that relationship.
Diplomacy Anchored in Memory
The meeting between Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was, on paper, a courtesy call. In substance, it was a reminder that South Asian diplomacy is as much about memory as it is about policy.
Khaleda Zia’s decision to fly to Colombo at a moment of profound danger and grief three decades ago continues to echo in diplomatic consciousness. By recalling that moment while engaging her son today, Sri Lanka reaffirmed a fundamental principle of regional diplomacy: that gestures of solidarity endure longer than political cycles.
In an era of transactional geopolitics, such continuity remains rare—and valuable.
For ColomboWire, the meeting serves as a timely illustration that diplomacy in South Asia is still shaped by history, humanity, and the quiet persistence of remembered goodwill.