Dhaka, Sept. 16 -- BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's decision not to attend the BRICS Summit in India demonstrated Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty and created a sense of pride among its people.

He said Tarique Rahman was invited to the BRICS Summit in his capacity as the current chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), rather than as Bangladesh's prime minister.

"Tarique Rahman is the prime minister of an independent and sovereign country. You will not invite him as prime minister and expect him to sit on the sidelines. That cannot happen," Rizvi said.

He said political analysts have also described the ...