Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday morning to a tumultuous welcome by lakhs of his followers, after spending 17 years in exile in London and to promise that he wants, “Peace in this country”.
Acknowledging the GenZ “revolutionaries” who brought about the fall of his arch rival Awami League’s government, Rahman said “We liberated this country in 1971, we liberated it again in 2024.”
Travelling in a bulletproof vehicle, part of a slow-moving cavalcade with three layers of security, Rahman reached the site of a massive rally organised by his party at Dhaka’s Purbachal area, as a slogan-shouting crowd went into a frenzy at the sight of their leader.
Rahman began his speech stating “We want peace in this country”, calling on people from all walks of life to unite in building a safe, democratic, and economically strong Bangladesh.
This comes after days of internal strife since the caretaker government took over last year. In his speech, Tarique Rahman recalled key moments in the nation’s history, including the 1971 Liberation War, the soldiers’ and people’s uprising of 1975, and the mass movement of the 1990s.
He also highlighted the events of August 5, 2024, when people from all segments of society—students, farmers, workers, men, women, and madrasa students—came together to safeguard the country’s independence and sovereignty. Saying the time has come for national unity, he stressed the need to work collectively to rebuild the country.
“This is a land of hills and plains, home to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians alike,” he said, adding that his goal is to build a Bangladesh where every woman, man, and child can leave home and return safely.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and leaders including Salahuddin Ahmed, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Mirza Abbas were among those present to welcome the prodigal son back home. Referring to the recent death of Osman Hadi, Tarique Rahman said the people must regain their economic rights.
“To repay the blood of those martyred in ’71 and ’24, we must build the Bangladesh they envisioned,” he said. He emphasized that the younger generation would play a decisive role in shaping the country’s future and underscored the importance of establishing democracy alongside a strong economic foundation.
Throughout his speech, Tarique Rahman repeatedly reiterated his message of peace, saying, “We want peace in the country.” Later, drawing inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words “I have a dream,” he said, “I have a plan,” outlining his vision for national development.
He added that the success of this plan depends on the cooperation of every individual. “Only then will it be possible to implement this plan,” he said. After the rally, the 60-year-old BNP acting chairman, who returned from London with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, went to a privately-run city hospital to see his ailing mother, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is being treated.
The return of the leader, son of Begum Zia and late President Gen Zia Ur-Rahman, is seen as a significant moment in the country’s turbulent political landscape. Rahman, who had gone into self-imposed exile after criminal cases were slapped on him, had been hesitating a return despite the Mohammad Yunus-led interim administration withdrawing all cases pending against him.
However, observers say realisation that staying out of the electoral contest slated for February may give his party’s main rival Jamaat-i-Islami an upper hand has finally convinced him to take the risk of a return despite several terrorist organisations surfacing in the country and killing of lesser leaders by unknown assailants.
Since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government last August, Bangladesh’s politics has been marked by frequent street unrest, with Islamist-led mobs often dominating public spaces. The Awami League, which has led the country to independence and ruled between 2009-2024, has been banned from contesting the elections, and many of the party’s leaders are either incarcerated or have fled to sanctuaries abroad.
The BNP, meanwhile, has faced its own challenges, with the party’s image dented by allegations of extortion and lawlessness involving its grassroots cadres in several parts of the country.
Despite the volatile backdrop, the BNP has successfully brought in large numbers of people for a massive rally in Dhaka to welcome Rahman back. Party leaders see his return a shot in the arm to the BNP’s prospects in the upcoming elections, where they will be pitched against the Jamaat.
Historically, Awami League and BNP have been the dominant parties with vote shares ranging between 25-40 per cent, while Jamaat has enjoyed between 5-12 per cent vote share. Rahman’s re-entry into active politics is expected to reshape opposition strategy and could further intensify political contestation in the months ahead.
