Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairperson Tarique Rahman is set to return home between November and December, ahead of the February general elections, with his party declaring him its prime ministerial nominee.
“If the BNP wins the election and forms the government, Tarique Rahman will become the prime minister,” said his foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir.
Tarique, who has lived abroad for years, faced multiple convictions under the Sheikh Hasina regime — including a life sentence in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case in which Hasina narrowly escaped but 24 were killed. In December 2024, the High Court acquitted him, ex-minister Lutfozzaman Babar, and others, calling into question the earlier convictions. In 2007, he was sentenced to nine years in prison in a corruption case, while his wife, Zubaida Rahman, got three years. Both were declared fugitives. The BNP has consistently alleged these cases were politically motivated to crush its leadership, a claim bolstered after the Supreme Court of Bangladesh dismissed all allegations, clearing the way for his return following the fall of the Hasina government.
Seen as the political heir to his ailing mother and former PM Begum Khaleda Zia, Tarique has been building international contacts. In London, he met US Charge d’Affaires to Bangladesh, Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, in what was officially termed a courtesy meeting but is believed to have touched on Indo-Bangladesh issues. Jacobson had earlier met a BNP delegation led by secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam. Tarique also held talks with Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in June.
Addressing supporters on August 5, Tarique said: “In this long and difficult journey toward fulfilling that noble promise, both I and my party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, seek the continued support and solidarity of all those who believe in democracy, justice, and the future of a truly inclusive Bangladesh.” The BNP, which boycotted the 2024 polls alleging they were rigged in Hasina’s favour, is betting on Tarique’s return to galvanise its base before February.