Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, will return to Bangladesh on December 25 after 17 years in self-exile, the BNP has announced. His homecoming comes at a moment of acute political and emotional intensity, with national elections scheduled for February 12 and Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorating sharply.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party’s standing committee decided on Rahman’s return, calling it both timely and essential. He said the BNP “welcomes him wholeheartedly,” noting that Rahman has been leading the party from London through digital platforms but has been unable to return “for obscure reasons” despite his mother’s worsening condition.
Khaleda Zia, now 80, has been undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital since November 23 for multiple complications. She was placed on ventilator support on Thursday after a sudden drop in oxygen levels and a rise in carbon dioxide. The head of her medical board said the ventilator was required to stabilise her lungs and vital organs as her condition became more critical.
Rahman’s return injects new urgency into Bangladesh’s political landscape. The Election Commission confirmed the date for the 13th parliamentary polls just a day earlier, setting the stage for a contest that could redefine the country’s post-Hasina era. The BNP has already indicated that if Khaleda Zia cannot play an active role, Tarique Rahman would be its prime ministerial candidate should the party win.
His arrival also marks the culmination of a long period during which he operated as the BNP’s de facto chief from abroad, shaping party strategy during a tumultuous phase that included the 2024 student uprising, which led to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. With his return less than two months before the polls, Rahman now steps into the heart of an election cycle that may determine Bangladesh’s political trajectory for years to come.
