BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is set to return home on Thursday after spending nearly 17 years in exile in London, a historic event that has generated widespread interest, emotion and political anticipation across the country.
The flight carrying Tarique is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:50am via Sylhet airport from London’s Heathrow along with his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman and others.
BNP has completed extensive preparations to welcome its top leader, with efforts taken to ensure maximum security.
Senior leaders, including members of the party’s Standing Committee, will receive him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
After arrival, Tarique will briefly address party leaders, supporters and the nation near the 300 Feet area of the capital, where thousands of supporters are expected to gather. He will offer thanks to the people and perform a brief prayer of gratitude for his safe return.
Tarique’s political adviser Mahdi Amin said the BNP Acting Chairman’s first and main priority upon landing is to visit Evercare Hospital to see his ailing mother, former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been receiving treatment there since November 23.
However, considering the huge turnout of people and respecting public sentiment, he will stop briefly at the July 36 Expressway (300 Feet area) to express gratitude to the nation before proceeding to the hospital.
After visiting his mother, he will go directly to his residence at House 196 on Gulshan Avenue, where he will stay with his family.
Mahdi Amin said the programme at 300 Feet is not a rally or reception. “It is only a short moment to thank the people and request prayers for the country, its people and Madam Khaleda Zia. Tarique Rahman will be the sole speaker,” he said.
To minimise public inconvenience, BNP has set up 20 medical camps across Dhaka with doctors, paramedics, medicines and ambulances. A six-bed temporary field hospital has also been arranged near the 300 Feet area, supported by ICU-equipped ambulances.
Pure drinking water, mobile toilets and several thousand volunteers have been deployed to assist the public. Separate bus parking areas have been designated at key entry points to the capital to ease traffic congestion.
Help desks have been set up at Kakoli, in front of the airport and at Abdullahpur to ensure smooth movement of airport-bound passengers, returning expatriates and ambulances, including motorbike escorts for emergencies.
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BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said the entire programme will be broadcast live on BNP’s official Facebook pages, including BNP, BNP Media Cell and Our BNP, so people at home and abroad can watch it.
Thirty large LED screens have been set up so people can watch the programme live.
A three-layer security system has been put in place at the reception venue. Alongside government security, BNP has its own special arrangements. Retired Brigadier General ATM Shamsul Islam, head of Tarique’s security team, said tight security will be maintained throughout the programme.
“We will use our party’s full security system. A small part of it is the Chairperson Security Force (CSF). Beyond that, our party leaders and activists, and above all, the people of Bangladesh, are the main foundation of our security,” he said.
Shamsul Islam said the government is providing them with maximum cooperation and has instructed its various forces and agencies to extend all kinds of support.
Large banners welcoming Tarique have appeared on major roads and intersections in the capital. The banners show him greeting people with raised hands, carrying slogans such as “Leader is coming,” “Tarique Rahman’s return, awakening of democracy,” “Bangladesh for all, Bangladesh first,” and “Tarique Rahman is coming, hope is rising.”
Top leaders of parties that joined the long anti-fascist movement and leaders of the student-led mass uprising of August 5, 2024, have been invited to attend the brief programme near 300 Feet.
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After returning, Tarique will regularly work from the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, where a new office room has been prepared for him on the second floor. A separate chamber has also been set up for the Acting Chairman at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
Both the Nayapaltan central office and the Gulshan chairperson’s office have been freshly painted, cleaned and decorated to mark his return.
In preparation for the upcoming election, BNP has rented a four-storey building on Road No 90 in Gulshan as an election office. The building has strict security arrangements, a briefing room on the second floor, seating for various departments and a research cell.
Mahdi Amin said the office will serve as a coordination centre for all election-related activities.
Tarique has spent more than a decade and a half in exile in London. During this period, he lived there with his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman. From abroad, he continued to run the party, stayed in touch with leaders and activists, and guided BNP’s political strategy.
Tarique Rahman is travelling on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ (BG-102) flight along with his wife Zubaida Rahman, daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman, and his late brother Arafat Rahman Koko’s two daughters—Jahia Rahman and Jafia Rahman. Journalist Saleh Shibli and a few of his personal aides are also on board the flight.
Zaima Rahman’s pet cat, Jebu, is also travelling to Bangladesh with the family.
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It will also mark the end of Zaima Rahman’s nearly 17-year exile in London. Party leaders say her return symbolizes the close of a long chapter of forced separation from the country.
Tarique’s homecoming has sparked strong emotions among political circles, BNP leaders and activists, and the general public.
Many political observers see the return not merely as that of a party leader, but as the end of a long wait and a moment tied to broader public hopes and expectations, with the possibility of one of the largest political gatherings in the country’s history.
They also consider his return as a significant step towards political unity and the restoration of democracy through an inclusive and credible election.
Excitement and enthusiasm have swept through BNP leaders and activists in the capital and beyond as the long-awaited return of the party’s Acting Chairman is set to take place on Thursday, ending years of speculation and debate over his homecoming.
BNP activists from different parts of the country have already begun arriving in Dhaka to catch a glimpse of their leader.
BNP leaders said nine special trains have been arranged to bring supporters from different parts of the country to Dhaka.
BNP leaders say Tarique will lead the party in the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election. He is expected to contest the election from Bogura-6 constituency.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Tarique will be the party’s main leader in the election.
“Under his leadership, we will cross the electoral hurdle successfully. If we receive the people’s mandate, Tarique Rahman will lead the next government,” Fakhrul said.
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He also said despite living in exile for years, Tarique remained closely connected with the party and proved his leadership through effective organisational management.
BNP has asked its leaders and activists not to carry the party’s electoral symbol during the reception, as the election schedule has already been announced. Banners, festoons and placards will be allowed, but no election symbol will be displayed.
Tarique left Bangladesh in 2008 for medical treatment after being released from jail during the military-backed caretaker government period and later settled in the United Kingdom with his family. During his exile, he faced numerous cases and legal hurdles. Following recent political changes and legal processes, he was cleared of all cases.
Though Dr Zubaida Rahman visited Bangladesh twice earlier, Tarique Rahman was unable to return until now.
Political analysts say the ongoing political crisis can only be resolved through elections, and Tarique Rahman’s return may help ease tensions. They note that he successfully united dozens of parties in the anti-fascist movement, proving his political experience and organisational strength.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed at a press conference on Wednesday sincerely apologised in advance for any inconvenience or suffering caused by the unavoidable and minimal programmes taken by the party to organise the historic homecoming of its beloved leader.
He said Tarique has chosen a government holiday for his return to avoid public inconvenience.