Tarique Rahman, the acting chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, returned to the country on Thursday after 17 years in exile, reported The Daily Star.
Rahman, who is a key contender to be the next prime minister of the country after the general elections in February, had been living in London since he fled Bangladesh in 2008.
He was sentenced to life in prison for allegedly masterminding a grenade attack on a rally in 2004 that killed 24 leaders and activists of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.
While in exile, he was also convicted on charges of money laundering and faced around 100 lawsuits. The convictions were overturned after Hasina was ousted from power in August 2024, following large-scale student-led protests against her government.
Soon after landing in Bangladesh on Thursday, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman, he spoke at a massive rally in Dhaka. He outlined his vision for the country and invoked the words of American civil rights activist Martin Luther King.
Rahman said that King had stated in a public speech: “I have a dream.”
“Like him, I want to say, I have a plan for Bangladesh,” reported Prothom Alo.
He also referred to the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi on…
Source: BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman returns to Bangladesh ahead of general elections
