Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman and a leading figure in opposition politics is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Thursday, ending more than 17 years of self-exile in the UK. His return ends a prolonged period abroad that began in 2008, when he left Bangladesh for medical treatment amid heightened legal and political pressures at home.His return comes at a time when the country has been marred by a series of violent incidents, weeks after the announcement of parliamentary elections slated for February 12.Rahman, the elder son of former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, is widely seen as the party’s principal face ahead of the polls, particularly as Zia remains unwell.
Since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has witnessed recurring spells of violence. The recent killing of youth leader and key figure in Hasina’s ouster, Osman Hadi, has reignited tensions, with Hadi’s brother alleging that the murder was aimed at “sabotaging polls”.Rahman’s homecoming has been facilitated by the interim government. Earlier this month, foreign advisor Md Touhid Hossain said the government could issue a “one-time” travel pass within a day if Rahman wished to return. Chief advisor Muhammad Yunus also discussed Rahman’s return at a recent meeting, according to officials.BNP leaders said Rahman will complete formalities to become a registered voter on December 27, a step that would allow him to play a direct role in electoral politics.Rahman earlier told BBC Bangla, “For some reasonable reasons my return has not happened… but the time has come, and I will return soon… I am running in the election [as well].”
Who is Tarique Rahman
Tarique Rahman, 58, is the elder son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He has lived in self-exile in London since 2008 after leaving Bangladesh amid multiple criminal convictions, including money laundering and charges linked to an alleged plot to assassinate then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.Over the past year, Bangladesh’s higher courts have acquitted him in all major cases, including the 2004 grenade attack and the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, clearing legal hurdles to his political return. Widely regarded as the BNP’s de facto leader, Rahman has now announced plans to return and contest the February 2026 general elections.
Rahman’s schedule
According to BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, senior party leaders will receive Rahman at the airport before he proceeds to a reception venue on the July Expressway, also known as the 300 Feet Road, where he is expected to address the nation.He will then visit Khaleda Zia at the hospital and return to his residence in Gulshan-2, Ahmed said. Details of Rahman’s first three days back were outlined by Ahmed at a press conference on Wednesday, as reported by Prothom Alo.On Friday, December 26, Rahman is slated to visit the grave of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, followed by a visit to the National Martyrs’ Monument in Savar.On Saturday, December 27, he is expected to complete national identity card procedures to become a voter, visit the grave of martyred Osman Hadi at Dhaka University, and meet those injured in the July mass uprising at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Shyamoli, Prothom Alo reported.
Khaleda Zia’s tenure
Bangladesh over the last three decades has alternated power between two rivals, now-ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Rahman’s mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia.Zia was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and served from 1991 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2006. Her tenure remains fresh in public memory, particularly among political factions that ousted Hasina on allegations of corruption. Her regime also saw allegations of atrocities and discrimination against minorities. In 2018, Zia was sentenced to five years in prison on graft charges.
A new political landscape
Bangladesh’s political order has been reshaped following the violent 2024 uprising that led to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster and the disbanding of her Awami League by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.With the Awami League barred from elections, traditional alliances have fractured, including the long-standing BNP–Jamaat partnership. The emergence of the student-led National Citizen Party, born out of the July protests and now registered with the Election Commission, has added further uncertainty to an already fluid electoral landscape.
Why the BNP is betting big on Rahman
With Khaleda Zia, 80, battling health issues, the BNP sees Tarique Rahman as its most viable leader going into the first election in nearly two decades without the Awami League. His decision to contest signals an effort to consolidate party unity, reclaim the Zia family’s political legacy, and project the BNP as the principal governing alternative.Political observers view the BNP as a frontrunner, and Rahman is being tipped as a possible prime ministerial candidate if the party secures a majority.
India ties
India-Bangladesh relations have sharply deteriorated since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster and her political asylum in India, where she continues to reside despite arrest warrants and extradition requests from Dhaka.The BNP has criticised New Delhi for sheltering Hasina, with Rahman saying India risks alienating the Bangladeshi public by doing so. A BNP return to power could further strain ties, given the party’s historically closer relations with Pakistan, in contrast to Hasina’s pro-India stance that included cooperation against insurgent and extremist networks.
Islamic radicals loom
As the BNP regains political prominence, it faces growing challenges from rising mob violence and the resurgence of Islamist groups advocating stricter religious norms. Party leaders have warned against attempts to impose Shariah law and curtail women’s freedoms, cautioning that extremist forces are seeking to replace liberal democratic politics.Recent attacks on religious sites and political offices, along with survey data showing widespread public concern over mob violence, underline the risks confronting the BNP as it prepares for elections.The political stakes are high. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from contesting the upcoming elections, leaving the BNP as a frontrunner. The BNP-led alliance is set to face a coalition headed by Jamaat-e-Islami.Rahman and the BNP have previously pressed the interim administration for early elections and, in May, questioned Yunus’ mandate to take long-term foreign policy decisions, arguing that such authority rests with an elected government.
