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Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of Bangladesh’s former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia , has returned to the country after nearly 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman and his family were welcomed at Dhaka airport by thousands of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) members carrying placards and banners.
Bangladesh National Party (BNP) supporters and party activists marched on foot along Banani Airport Road toward the Dhaka airport to mark Rahman’s return to Bangladesh.
Earlier, images of Rahman departing for Dhaka from London’s Heathrow Airport with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, went viral on social media. The party had been preparing for what it described as an “unprecedented” gathering of more than five million people in the capital to welcome them.
“On the way back to my motherland, Bangladesh!” Zaima Rahman wrote on her Facebook page, sharing photographs from inside the aircraft showing her parents smiling beside her.
BNP’s Mega Welcome Plan
The BNP Has Planned to mobilise around five million supporters from Dhaka airport to the Rahman reception venue to welcome their exiled leader, demonstrating the party stengṭh as he emerges as a top contender for Prime Minister in the February elections
“This will be a defining political moment,” senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, adding that security arrangements were being closely coordinated with authorities to ensure order.
Rahman has lived in London since 2008 after facing multiple criminal convictions in Bangladesh, including charges of money laundering and a case related to an alleged plot to assassinate Sheikh Hasina. He was later acquitted of all charges following Hasina’s removal from power, clearing the legal obstacles that had delayed his return.
What Rahman Did Between 2008 and 2025
Between 2008 and late 2025, Rahman lived in self-imposed exile in London after leaving Bangladesh in September 2008. In December 2009, he was elected Senior Vice Chairman of the BNP at the party’s fifth National Council held in Dhaka and went to lead the party from abroad.
In 2015, Tarique Rahman registered a private PR and communications firm named *White and Blue Consultants Limited*. Incorporation documents filed with the UK Companies House showed that he initially listed his nationality as British. In 2016, he amended the paperwork and declared his nationality as Bangladeshi.
Following the fall of the Hasina government in 2024, Rahman pledged to return to Bangladesh after the cases against him were withdrawn. He also pledged support for the reform process of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Timing of Rahman’s Return
Rahman’s return comes at a time when the BNP is gaining momentum following the ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a student-led uprising last year. Apart from brief transitional administrations, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have alternated in power since 1991.
Rahman is returning to the Muslim-majority South Asian nation of nearly 175 million people during a sensitive election period under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The upcoming vote is widely viewed as critical to restoring political stability after nearly two years of turmoil.
The 60-year-old leader, widely known as Tarique Zia, is the acting chairman of the BNP, which is expected to perform strongly in the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12.
A December survey by the US-based International republican Institute indicates that the Bangladesh National Party is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race. Shikh Hasina Awami League, which has been barred from contesting the elections, has threatened unrest, raising concerns about potential disruption to the polls.
Rahman’s decision to return has been driven by both political developments and personal circumstances. His mother has been seriously ill for months, prompting what party insiders described as an urgent return home.
Political Turmoil in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is at a crossroads, with Rahman's return testing the BNP's ability to mobilise peacefully and the interim administration's promise to deliver a credible transfer of power. While the government has pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns about law enforcement.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the youth protest movement that toppled Hasina, said it views Rahman's return positively.
"Tarique Rahman was forced into exile under severe pressure and threats, so his homecoming carries symbolic weight," said Khan Muhammad Mursalin, an NCP spokesperson.
"His arrival will undoubtedly energise party leaders and supporters ... On the path to democracy, we will stand with him," he added.