US EditionSon of former Bangladesh prime minister returns after 17 years in exile with a chance to lead
Tarique Rahman returned to lead the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ahead of the Feb. 12 election, with a December survey showing BNP poised to win the largest number of seats.
- On December 25, 2025, Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka after 17 years in exile, landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman, and was received by the BNP Standing Committee amid large crowds.
- Rahman had left Bangladesh in 2008 following imprisonment and a medical flight to the U.K., and courts later stayed or overturned convictions blocking his return after the August 2024 student-led uprising ousted Sheikh Hasina.
- The BNP is mobilising supporters and logistics, aiming to draw up to five million supporters in Dhaka, while BNP organisers furnished a house and bought bulletproof vehicles for security.
- He is widely expected to be put forward as prime minister if the BNP wins a majority, as Rahman will lead the party into the February 12 election.
- Given a UN death toll of up to 1,400, the February 12 election is a critical test of Bangladesh's democratic legitimacy amid unrest over Sharif Osman Hadi's killing and violent protests earlier this month.
142 Articles
142 Articles
Rahman talking about peaceful, safe, inclusive Bangladesh; we should welcome that: Former Envoy Rajiv Bhatia - The Tribune
On the return of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman's after 17 years, Former Diplomat Rajiv Bhatia said that his return can be assessed in a positive manner as Rahman has spoken about a peaceful and inclusive Bangladesh and said it remains to be seen what Rahman does in the country.
Who is Zubaida Rahman? Wife of ex-Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, who came to country after 17 years in exile, she is daughter of...
Ex-PM Khaleda Zia's son and acting chairperson of BNP Tarique Rahman has ended his 17 year long self imposed exile, after arriving in Bangladesh on December 25. Along with him, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Zarnaz Rahman, also arrived in the country. Who is Zubaida Rahman?
The interim president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tarique Rahman, returned to his country this Thursday after almost 17 years of exile. A return that his political formation expects him to give energy to his supporters, as he is the main candidate for prime minister in the general elections called for next February. Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined up along the route from Dhaka airport to the reception site, waving party flags …
A Top Candidate for Prime Minister Returns to Bangladesh After 17 Years in Exile
One of Bangladesh’s top contenders to be prime minister, who had been in exile for nearly two decades as he faced legal troubles at home, returned to the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday, just as the country’s election season got into full swing. The return of the politician, Tarique Rahman, who had managed the political affairs of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party as its de facto leader from Britain for 17 years, was the latest twist in the country’s…
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