Saturday, 13 September, 2025
BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to return to Bangladesh “very soon,” although no specific date has been announced.
Speaking at a meeting of the Nationalist Income Tax Lawyers’ Forum in Dhaka on Sunday, Salahuddin told party supporters that “half of the party’s election campaigning will be completed” on the day of Tarique’s return, underscoring the significance of his presence in Bangladesh’s political landscape.
The anticipation surrounding his return has been growing in recent days. On Saturday, another BNP Standing Committee member, AZM Zahid Hossain, also said that Tarique’s homecoming was imminent. Earlier last week, Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain confirmed that if the BNP leader, now residing in London, wishes to come back, the interim government would provide the necessary travel documents to facilitate his journey. He added, however, that the decision ultimately depends on Tarique himself.
Tarique Rahman has been in London since 2008, when he traveled there for medical treatment amid political turmoil in Bangladesh. Over the past 15 years, he remained in self-exile under the Awami League government, during which he faced a series of graft and corruption charges. Several of these cases were tried in his absence, resulting in convictions and fines. Despite living abroad, he continued to exert considerable influence over the BNP, directing party activities and making key decisions from London through virtual platforms.
His return has long been a contentious issue in Bangladesh politics. The fall of the Sheikh Hasina administration earlier this year created a new opening, and under the current interim government, Tarique has been acquitted of all charges by the judiciary, effectively removing the legal barriers that had prevented his return.
BNP leaders and grassroots activists believe that his presence in Bangladesh could galvanize the party ahead of the next general election. For many supporters, Tarique’s return would mark the symbolic restoration of leadership within the BNP after years of operating under the shadow of exile.
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BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to return to Bangladesh “very soon,” although no specific date has been announced.
Speaking at a meeting of the Nationalist Income Tax Lawyers’ Forum in Dhaka on Sunday, Salahuddin told party supporters that “half of the party’s election campaigning will be completed” on the day of Tarique’s return, underscoring the significance of his presence in Bangladesh’s political landscape.
The anticipation surrounding his return has been growing in recent days. On Saturday, another BNP Standing Committee member, AZM Zahid Hossain, also said that Tarique’s homecoming was imminent. Earlier last week, Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain confirmed that if the BNP leader, now residing in London, wishes to come back, the interim government would provide the necessary travel documents to facilitate his journey. He added, however, that the decision ultimately depends on Tarique himself.
Tarique Rahman has been in London since 2008, when he traveled there for medical treatment amid political turmoil in Bangladesh. Over the past 15 years, he remained in self-exile under the Awami League government, during which he faced a series of graft and corruption charges. Several of these cases were tried in his absence, resulting in convictions and fines. Despite living abroad, he continued to exert considerable influence over the BNP, directing party activities and making key decisions from London through virtual platforms.
His return has long been a contentious issue in Bangladesh politics. The fall of the Sheikh Hasina administration earlier this year created a new opening, and under the current interim government, Tarique has been acquitted of all charges by the judiciary, effectively removing the legal barriers that had prevented his return.
BNP leaders and grassroots activists believe that his presence in Bangladesh could galvanize the party ahead of the next general election. For many supporters, Tarique’s return would mark the symbolic restoration of leadership within the BNP after years of operating under the shadow of exile.
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