Hyderabad, Feb. 15 -- The victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) should be seen in the light of the recent political developments in most of the seven member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand form this grouping, ostensibly created to reduce the influence of Pakistan (and to some extent Bangladesh) in the sub-continent, especially in regional organisations like South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and at the same time neutralise the growing impact of China in Bay of Bengal as well as further south in Indian Ocean.

Besides, the outcome of the February 12 election may have ...