Tarique Rahman Returns to Bangladesh After 17 Years as BNP Eyes Power in February Election

Melbourne 25 December: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, marking a dramatic political homecoming ahead of the February 12 general election. The BNP hopes his return will galvanise supporters, with Rahman widely viewed as the party’s top contender for the post of prime minister.

Hundreds of thousands of BNP supporters lined the roads from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to the party’s reception venue, waving flags, holding banners and flowers, and chanting slogans to welcome their leader. Senior BNP figures received Rahman at the airport under tight security arrangements.

Rahman, 60, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and has served as BNP’s acting chairman since 2018. Wearing a light grey checkered blazer over a white shirt, he greeted the crowds with a smile and waved as his motorcade passed through the capital.

For years, Rahman was unable to return to Bangladesh due to multiple criminal cases filed against him. He had been convicted in absentia on charges including money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Those convictions were overturned after Hasina was removed from power last year following a student-led uprising, clearing the way for his return.

Rahman’s arrival also carries strong personal significance, as Khaleda Zia has been seriously ill for several months. Party officials said he would go directly from the reception venue to visit his mother.

Bangladesh’s political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina’s removal, ending a long period in which power alternated between Hasina and Khaleda Zia. A December survey by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute indicated that the BNP is on track to win the largest number of seats in parliament, while the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami is also contesting the election.

Hasina’s Awami League, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest, raising fears of possible disruption to the polls.

The country is heading into the election under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Although authorities have promised a free and peaceful vote, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have heightened concerns, making Rahman’s return a pivotal moment for both the BNP and Bangladesh’s fragile political transition.