BNP’s Tarique Rahman returns to Bangladesh after 17 years amid deepening crisis

Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years of self-imposed exile amid the deepening political crisis in the nation.

Rahman landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.

He was warmly received by BNP leaders, which included Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, members of the party’s Standing Committee and other central leaders.

Following this, Rahman left the airport for the reception venue in the capital’s 300 Feet Road in a bulletproof bus where he is scheduled to address a massive gathering, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.

Reports suggest that thousands of BNP supporters had gathered in the venue from early morning to welcome Rahman, waving banners and chanting “The leader is coming”.

Following the rally, Rahman will visit his mother and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka for nearly a month.

Earlier in the day, the flight carrying the BNP leader landed for a few hours at Bangladesh’s Sylhet Osmani Airport.

Sharing a photo of himself on his official social media platform, Rahman wrote: “Back in Bangladesh skies after 6,314 days!”

Authorities have tightened security measures across key areas of the capital ahead of the BNP leader’s return.

From early Thursday morning, a substantial number of law enforcement personnel were stationed at the two main gates of the airport.

The security deployment included members of the Bangladesh Army, Airport Armed Police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), all placed on high alert.

Rahman’s return to Bangladesh after 17 years comes at a time when the Election Commission announced that the country’s 13th national parliamentary election, along with a referendum on the July Charter, will be held on February 12 next year.

Analysts reckon that Rahman’s return and participation in the February 2026 elections will test the waters amid the ongoing turbulence in Bangladesh’s politics under the Yunus-led interim government, which is under mounting pressure to deliver a free, fair and credible election.

Since the election schedule was announced, Bangladesh has been grappling with widespread violence. Critics warn that Rahman’s return to the volatile political landscape in Bangladesh could deepen tension across the country.

Khaleda Zia’s BNP acted hand in glove with the interim government led by Yunus in overthrowing the democratically elected Awami League government last year.

IANS