Bangladesh BNP leader Tarique Rahman returns home after 17 years in exile

Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned to Bangladesh on Thursday after 17 years living in exile in London, arriving with his wife and daughter amid a tense security situation in the capital.

Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, touched down at Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport at around 9:58 am, with a flight from Biman Bangladesh Airlines making a stopover there. He is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka around noon, where authorities have put in place extensive security measures to manage crowds and ensure safety.

Scores of supporters braved the winter chill to welcome the BNP leader.

The return comes at a critical moment for Bangladesh, following the assassination of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi on December 18 in Singapore, where he succumbed to injuries sustained in a Dhaka attack.

Tensions escalated further on Wednesday when unidentified assailants hurled a crude bomb from a flyover in Moghbazar, Dhaka, killing a bystander, according to local police and media reports.

In response to Hadi’s assassination, the activist group Inqilab Moncho organised protests at Shaheed Minar and Shahbagh, demanding swift justice and setting a 24-hour ultimatum for the government to bring the perpetrators to account. The group, which played a key role during the July 2024 uprising, has urged that the killers be prosecuted before Bangladesh’s 13th national election and forthcoming referendum.

Rahman’s return is expected to have significant political implications as Bangladesh navigates a period of unrest and heightened public scrutiny of security and governance ahead of upcoming electoral events.

With agency inputs