A front-runner to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister returned home on Thursday amid cheering crowds after more than 17 years in self-imposed exile.
Tariq Rehman, his wife and daughter reached the capital Dhaka amid tight security.
Thousands of supporters lined the streets between the airport and the reception venue to welcome him.
Rehman, acting president of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), posted on Facebook, “Finally here in Sylhet, on Bangladeshi soil!”
Their return follows a student-led uprising last year that ousted Sheikh Hasina, putting Bangladesh under the control of an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus from August 2024.
The country’s national election is scheduled for February 12, 2026.
Who is Tariq Rehman?
Rehman, 60, is the eldest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rehman, founder of BNP.
Ziaur Rehman was assassinated in a military coup in 1981. Khaleda Zia entered politics after the death of her husband and assumed power for the first time in 1991.
Rahman has served as the party’s acting president since his mother’s imprisonment in 2018.
Tariq Rehman returned home from London
Rahman moved to London in 2008 for treatment and remained there while facing several criminal cases at home.
He was convicted in his absence on charges that included an alleged plot to assassinate Sheikh Hasina. Those decisions were reversed after Hasina was ousted from power last year, removing legal barriers to her return.
Rahman’s return home is also of personal importance, as his mother has been seriously ill for several months. He had plans to meet her later.
Edited by: Louis Olofse