Tarique Rahman Returns to Bangladesh After 17 Years

(MENAFN) Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which opposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, has come back to Dhaka after nearly 17 years abroad.

Rahman arrived in the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday morning to a massive reception, with security measures heightened to extraordinary levels amid recent unrest and instability in the country.

Addressing supporters, the 61-year-old politician urged unity among different communities and political groups, stressing the importance of building a secure Bangladesh.

Rahman comes from a family with deep political roots. His mother, Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, is currently receiving medical treatment in a Dhaka hospital. His father, Ziaur Rahman, the nation’s sixth president, was assassinated by army officers on May 30, 1981.

In 2008, Tarique Rahman left Bangladesh, claiming he was the target of politically motivated persecution, and settled in London.

Now, he is seen as a leading contender in the forthcoming elections. The interim government, which took power following Sheikh Hasina’s removal in August 2024, had postponed announcing the election date for months. Under mounting pressure from political forces, it has finally scheduled the polls for February 12. The caretaker administration is headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

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