Staff Reporter:
BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman is returning home today from London after nearly 18 years in exile, a development the party says could have major political significance at a time of transition.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told the Daily Sun, “The country is going through a transitional period and there is a leadership vacuum at this time. The lack of a strong, skilled leader who is popular among the people is felt now to fill this vacuum. This is why Tarique Rahman’s homecoming is significant.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Tarique led the party’s pro-democracy movement for years from abroad and expressed hope that his return would help remove obstacles to democratic governance.Party insiders said Tarique chose the Christmas holiday to minimise public inconvenience.
Addressing a press briefing at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Wednesday, Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said Tarique would depart from London’s Heathrow Airport on a regular Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at midnight and was scheduled to land in Dhaka at 11:20am today after a stopover in Sylhet.
He said Tarique would be received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by members of the BNP Standing Committee before travelling by road to Evercare Hospital to visit his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment.On the way, Tarique would briefly address supporters at a short programme on the 300 Feet road, where he would thank the public and offer prayers.
He will later go to his residence on Gulshan Avenue.On Friday, Tarique is scheduled to visit the grave of his father, late president Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar after Jumma prayers and then pay tribute to the martyrs at the National Mausoleum in Savar.
Party leaders said further activities, including visits to the graves of Sharif Osman Hadi and Tarique’s brother Arafat Rahman Koko, as well as injured participants of the July mass uprising, were being considered and will be announced later.Salahuddin Ahmed apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused by the limited programmes, saying Tarique had instructed party leaders to avoid activities that could disrupt public life.
He said expatriate leaders and supporters were asked not to gather at Heathrow Airport and efforts were being made to keep events in Dhaka brief.BNP Chairperson’s Chief Security Officer Brig Gen (retd) AKM Shamsul Islam said party security arrangements would be in place with government support.
Tarique has lived in London with his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, since 2008 after securing political asylum.He was arrested on 7 March 2007 during the 1/11 caretaker government and freed on bail in September 2008, after which he travelled to the UK for treatment.He was accused in dozens of cases during the previous Awami League regime, but courts have since cleared him of all charges.During the Awami League’s tenure, he was sentenced in five cases in absentia and faced nearly 100 cases. After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, he was acquitted through legal processes, and no cases remain pending against him.
Tarique was made acting BNP chairman in 2018 after his mother, former prime minister and party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was jailed. His active political involvement, however, dates back decades. At 22, he joined Gabtali Upazila BNP in 1988 and founded the non-political Ziaur Rahman Foundation the same year.
He gained popularity during the 1991 election campaign when he accompanied Khaleda Zia across the country. Ahead of the 2001 election, he set up an office in Dhaka to study local issues and engage with intellectuals and civil society, contributing to the BNP’s landslide victory.
Despite being the party chief’s son, Tarique did not assume public office and instead focused on strengthening the grassroots. He was appointed senior joint secretary general in 2002 and later convened a nationwide grassroots forum, visiting every upazila to engage directly with supporters.
While abroad, he was elected senior vice-chairman at the party’s Fifth National Council in 2009 and re-elected at the Sixth National Council in 2016. His speeches and interviews were restricted under the previous government, which barred media from publishing or broadcasting his statements.Tarique married Dr Zubaida Rahman on 3 February 1994. Their daughter, Zaima, has completed her law degree at Queen Mary University of London.
Talking to Daily Sun, BNP Media Cell member Atikur Rahman Ruman said Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence for Tarique and his family has been prepared. The duplex house on a 32-katha plot, adjacent to Khaleda’s current home ‘Feroza’, has been renovated for their use. Tarique is expected to use the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan of the capital as his political headquarters after his return as a room has been renovated for his use there. At the same time, another room has been constructed in the party’s central office in Nayapaltan for Tarique.
A close aide said a specially equipped bullet-proof Toyota Land Cruiser Prado LC 250, manufactured this year in Japan, already arrived in Dhaka for his security.BNP leaders said Tarique Rahman will lead the party into the national election scheduled for 12 February next year. He himself will contest the election from Bogra-6 constituency.
Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “Tarique Rahman is our leader in this election. Under his leadership, we will cross the electoral threshold with great success. Tarique Rahman will also be the leader of the government that will be formed if the people get the mandate.”
“Even though he has been in exile for a long time, he has always been in contact with the party, its workers, and its leaders. He himself has proven it by leading the party. We believe that under his leadership, democracy will be established and a new Bangladesh will be built,” he added.
