Last Updated on January 10, 2026 10:24 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has formally appointed Tarique Rahman as its chairman following the death of former prime minister and party chief Begum Khaleda Zia. The decision was unanimously approved at a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee held Friday night at the party’s Gulshan office, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters.
In line with the party constitution, the National Standing Committee convened to fill the vacancy and entrusted Tarique Rahman with the post. Under Article 7 (Ga), the senior vice-chairman assumes the role if the chairmanship falls vacant. Tarique Rahman has been serving as acting chairman since February 8, 2018, when Khaleda Zia was imprisoned. He returned to Bangladesh on December 25, 2025, after 17 years in exile. He joined BNP politics during the anti-Ershad movement, formally entered the party in 1988, became senior joint secretary in 2002, senior vice-chairman in 2009, and played a key role in promoting internal party democracy.
‘Country must not return to the pre-August 5 situation’: BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said Bangladesh must not return to the situation that existed before August 5, stressing the need for democracy and accountability at all levels. “We had problems before, and we still have problems. But clearly, we do not want to go back to the situation before August 5,” Tarique said while exchanging greetings with editors and journalists at a city hotel. Referring to August 5, 2024, and personal losses including the deaths of his parents, he said violence, revenge and vindictiveness always lead to “dangerous consequences”.
“Differences will exist, but many problems can be solved through discussion. These differences must not turn into deep divisions,” he said, urging dialogue across political lines. The BNP chief said politicians must learn from key moments in history, 1971, 1990 and August 5, 2024, to protect the country’s sovereignty. “If we continue the democratic process and ensure accountability, we can bring the desired change,” he said.