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Tariq Rahman, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, will return to the country today after 17 years. 1 lakh workers of his party BNP will gather near the airport to welcome him.
Rahman fled to London in 2008 to avoid arrest. At that time, many corruption cases were going on against him in Hasina government.
General elections are to be held in Bangladesh on 12 February next year. Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League has been banned. In such a situation, Bangladeshi Nationalist Party (BNP) is the biggest contender to win the elections.
BNP President Khaleda Zia is 80 years old and is very ill. In such a situation, it is believed that Rehman can be a contender for the next PM.
Preparations to welcome the entire country, roads leading to Dhaka will remain closed for 2 days
Tariq Rahman will reach Bangladesh on 25th December. More than one lakh BNP workers will be present near Dhaka Airport to welcome him. Due to Tariq’s return, the roads leading to Dhaka will remain closed from the afternoon of 25 December to the evening of 26 December.
Tariq Rehman has already announced to contest the February 2025 general elections. On December 26, he will pay homage at his father’s grave in Bogura and file his election nomination from Bogura seat on the same day.
BNP working president Tariq Rehman’s party workers preparing to welcome him. Source – Reuters.
What is the meaning of Rahman’s return to Bangladesh?
In June, Mohammad Yunus, chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, met Tariq Rahman during his visit to the UK. According to Bangladeshi media reports, after this meeting he is being seen as the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Mohammad Yunus, head of the interim government of Bangladesh, had met Tariq Rahman during his visit to the UK.
Tariq Rehman’s mother Khaleda Zia is 80 years old. She has been ill for a long time and is currently admitted in the ICU. Khaleda had announced the election campaign in November, after which her health deteriorated a few days later.
Presently Tariq is the working president of BNP. He can return to Bangladesh and take command of the party. Regarding the elections, he had said in a virtually organized meeting from London on 15 December 2025,
This is not an ordinary election, but it is more complex and important than any previous election. The next decade will be a decade of change.
After the ban on Sheikh Hasina’s party, BNP is considered to be the biggest party of Bangladesh. Yunus government is preparing to hold elections amid the ongoing violence in Bangladesh. The chief advisor of the interim government has assured US Ambassador Sergio Gore that the elections will be held on the scheduled date of February 12, 2026.
Who will challenge Rahman in the elections?
Bangladeshi Islamic organization Jamaat-e-Islami had actively participated in the movement against Sheikh Hasina in July 2024. Hasina government had banned Jamaat and its student organization Islami Chhatra Shibir on charges of inciting violence.
However, in August 2024, the interim government lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and in June 2025, the Supreme Court also restored the registration of the party.
Youth associated with Jamaat-e-Islami student organization formed the National Citizen Party (NCP) after Hasina left the country, some of whose leaders are also included in the caretaker government of Bangladesh.
After Awami League is not in the electoral fray, NCP is considered to be the only major challenge before BNP. However, according to Bangladeshi media reports, Jamaat-e-Islami’s support in the previous elections was not so good that it could win the elections on its own.
What will be the impact on India?
According to Rajan Kumar, Professor of International Studies in JNU, Tariq Rahman’s return to Bangladesh at such a time is a big event. However, nothing can be said so soon about his becoming PM, because Jamaat-e-Islami is also preparing to field its PM candidate.
Rajan says that even after all this, if Tariq becomes the Prime Minister, then India will have to intensify its diplomacy on the issue of Bangladesh, because Islamic fundamentalists may get a boost during Tariq’s tenure, which will affect Bangladeshi Hindus.
They can sign the defense agreement with Pakistan which has been kept on hold for a long time, due to which it can become a challenge for India to protect the states bordering Bangladesh like West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
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