The heir to Bangladesh’s longtime ruling family and leader of the country’s powerful opposition, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, his party said.
Tarique Rahman Returns to Bangladesh Ahead of February Election
Rahman, 60, has lived in London since fleeing Bangladesh in 2008, citing politically motivated persecution. He is expected to take over leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from his ailing mother, 80-year-old former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from Dhaka’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags, carrying placards and flowers, and chanting slogans welcoming Rahman. Senior BNP leaders received him at the airport under tight security.
Rahman, dressed in a light grey blazer over a white shirt, waved to the crowd with a smile. The BNP had aimed to gather up to five million supporters in the capital for what it called an “unprecedented” mobilisation.
He is widely viewed as the prime ministerial frontrunner in February’s general election. His arrival comes as the BNP regains momentum following the 2024 ouster of longtime leader Sheikh Hasina.
“Although the election date has been announced, there’s a vacuum for leadership and power, particularly within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” said Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka. “He’s going to fill up that vacuum.”
Rahman is expected to bring unity to the currently polarised country, despite criticism that Hasina’s party is not being allowed to participate in the upcoming election. The head of the current interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has struggled to maintain law and order, partly due to remnants of the previous government within the security forces and administration.
Shifting Political Landscape
Rahman was unable to return to Bangladesh for years due to multiple criminal cases. He was convicted in absentia on charges including money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate Hasina, but those rulings were overturned after Hasina was ousted last year in a student-led uprising.
Rahman initially moved to London for medical treatment after allegedly being tortured while in custody during the military-backed government that ruled from 2006 to 2008.
His homecoming also carries personal urgency, as Khaleda Zia has been seriously ill for months. Party officials said Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception venue before visiting his mother.
The political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina’s removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda Zia largely alternated in office. Khaleda Zia came to politics after her husband, former military chief and then president Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in 1981.
A December survey by the United States-based International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats in the elections, with the Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race. Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could disrupt the vote.
Bangladesh is heading to the polls under Yunus. While authorities have pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman’s return a defining moment for the BNP and the country’s fragile political transition.
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