Tarique Rahman Returns to Dhaka, Launching BNP’s Election Campaign
Tarique Rahman Returns to Dhaka, Launching BNP’s Election Campaign
Tarique Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s son and BNP acting chairman, arrives in Dhaka after 18 years in exile, set to kick off a high-stakes campaign amid security concerns.
After nearly 18 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Tarique Rahman, the BNP acting chairman and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, will return to Dhaka on Thursday, December 25, 2026, signaling the official launch of the party’s campaign for the February 12 general election. According to BNP sources, Rahman is expected to address supporters and visit his ailing mother, who remains hospitalised in the capital.
Anticipating large crowds, the interim government announced that the elevated expressway in Dhaka will be toll-free during daytime on Thursday to facilitate the influx of party workers and supporters. Party officials said a wave of BNP supporters from across the country is likely to greet Rahman at the airport, where he is due to land around midday aboard a Biman Bangladesh flight.
Rahman left Bangladesh during the 2007-08 interim rule after a period of imprisonment and exile in the United Kingdom. There had been expectations of his return soon after the Hasina government was briefly toppled in 2024, but the process stretched to about 15 months before he publicly announced in London on December 16 that he would return on Christmas. The BNP has prepared a house in Dhaka and arranged bulletproof vehicles to support Rahman’s campaign in the coming weeks.
Security remains a critical concern in Dhaka, with authorities cautioning about the increasing violence in the city and an overnight blast in Mogbazar that killed at least one person, underscoring the fragile security environment ahead of the polls. Rahman’s return is seen as a pivotal moment for the BNP as it seeks to galvanize support amid a reshaped political landscape after years of exile for its leadership.
