24/02/2026
Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), has criticised the timing of the tariff deal signed by the interim government just three days before the national elections.
"The ill-timed move has created uncertainty. Had the deal not been signed, we might have had greater room. Instead, we are now facing a state of uncertainty," he says the export-industry leader.
Alleging that certain individuals in the previous government might have pursued personal interests through the agreement, Ehsan says those responsible should be held accountable.
He sees the ongoing US tariff turmoil as one of the major challenges confronting the new government.
"The government should explore possible avenues to revoke or revisit the agreement," he says, noting that trade agreements should ideally be structured around HS codes to ensure clarity and secure customs and other duty benefits.
Reciprocal tariff arrangements, he argues, tend to carry inherent uncertainty.
Given the proximity to the election, the interim government should have deferred the decision or left it to the elected government, particularly as the deal reportedly contains undisclosed clauses, he says.
Amid overlapping developments over Trump tariff revocation by court and fresh duty imposition by the president, Bangladesh government awaits official notification from the United States for the next course about the country's trade deal. Experts think the latest developments may create room for Ba
