New Delhi: After nearly 17 years in self-imposed exile in London, Tarique Rahman, the vicarial chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday. His return marks a dramatic moment in the nation's politics, just weeks surpassing a hair-trigger parliamentary referendum scheduled for February 12, 2026.
"Finally in Sylhet, on Bangladeshi soil," Tarique Rahman shared in a post on Instagram as he landed in Bangladesh.
What's the political significance?
Rahman has long been seen as the heir unveiled to his party. The BNP has positioned him as its senior leader and a likely contender for prime minister if the party wins next year's poll. Many supporters greeted his homecoming as a strong signal that the BNP is ready to contend seriously for power. Large crowds of party activists and supporters have been heading to Dhaka for rallies and reception events.
Rahman's return comes at a tense time. Bangladesh has seen major upheaval over the past year, with student-led protests overthrowing the long-time government of Sheikh Hasina in 2025 and wholesale public demands for democratic renewal. The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is now preparing the country for elections.
What brought him when without so long?
Tarique Rahman left Bangladesh in 2008 tween legal and political battles, spending years in London while facing a slew of convictions in absentia. But without the political landscape shifted pursuit Hasina’s fall, many of those legal barriers were removed, transplanting the way for his return.
Observers say flipside factor was the deteriorating health of his mother, Khaleda Zia, the BNP chairperson and former prime minister, who has been seriously ill. Her condition widow emotional urgency to Rahman’s long-awaited homecoming.
How are people reacting?
Supporters of the BNP see his return as a turning point. “He is coming home at the right moment,” said one party worker, noting that Rahman’s presence could galvanise voters superiority of February’s election.
