Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP’s) chairperson and son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, received a grand welcome after he arrived in Dhaka. Rahman returned to Bangladesh after almost 17 years of self-exile in the United Kingdom. Rahman returned to Dhaka amid a fresh wave of unrest in Bangladesh. The general elections in the neighbouring country are scheduled to take place in February next year.
BNP supporters marched towards the Dhaka Airport to receive Rahman. The BNP leader returned to Bangladesh with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman. The BNP’s acting chairperson travelled in one of the two bulletproof vehicles specially imported for him, reported NDTV.
VIDEO | Dhaka: BNP Acting chairperson Tarique Rahman arrives in the Bangladeshi capital to a rousing welcome, weeks before the country goes to parliamentary elections.
Son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman had been living in exile in London since 2008 in… pic.twitter.com/cJz4XGzfYb
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 25, 2025
A video of Rahman waving from inside the bulletproof vehicle also surfaced online. He will reportedly address his supporters in the 300 Feet area of Purbachal. Senior party leaders will also share the stage with him. Around 50 lakh people are expected to attend the event, reported the media house.
Security has been tightened in Dhaka to avoid any untoward incident. Rahman will first meet his ailing mother Khaleda Zia and then will visit the Zia family’s residence at Gulshan-2. According to recent reports, Zia’s health deteriorated drastically over the past few weeks.
VIDEO | Bangladesh: BNP party leaders gather on the streets of Dhaka ahead of the arrival of party Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who is returning to the country after nearly 17 years in exile in London.
Rahman, the 60-year-old son of ailing former premier Khaleda Zia, has… pic.twitter.com/gVIqhVLZRN
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 25, 2025
The 60-year-old BNP leader has emerged as a leading contender for prime minister in the upcoming February general elections. The BNP is considered the forerunner in the changed political landscape after the 2024 student-led violent movement, known as the July Uprising.
After the protest intensified, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024. The BNP’s partner during its 2001–2006 tenure in power, Jamaat-e-Islami and its Islamist allies, are now the BNP’s main rivals, as the interim government disbanded the Awami League under the country’s tough Anti-Terrorism Act through an executive order.
BNP announced Rahman’s return on December 12. He had been living in exile in London since 2008 in connection with multiple corruption cases.