LONDON-based Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after more than 17 years in self-exile, a development seen as significant for his party ahead of the February 12 parliamentary elections.
Rahman, 60, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has emerged as a contender for the prime minister’s post. His return comes as Jamaat-e-Islami seeks to expand its support base ahead of the polls.
The return follows a period of unrest in Bangladesh after the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was associated with last year’s protests that led to the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Rahman arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with his wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima. He was received by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other party leaders. Security arrangements were in place across the city.
The BNP is positioned to contest the February elections after the Awami League was barred from participating. Jamaat-e-Islami, which was the BNP’s coalition partner between 2001 and 2006, is contesting the polls after the interim government blocked the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
After the BNP announced Rahman’s return from London, he said, “like any child, he longs to be near his critically ill mother at her moment of crisis.”
Rahman left the airport in a bulletproof bus and is scheduled to attend a reception where supporters have gathered. He is also expected to visit Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment in the ICU at Evercare Hospital.
Before leaving the airport, Rahman held a phone conversation with interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, according to the BNP media cell. Details of the conversation were not disclosed.
Around 4,000 army personnel, Border Guard Bangladesh members and police were deployed in Dhaka. “We have enforced an overt and covert security vigil,” a senior police official said. Authorities restricted the use of drones and photography near the airport and hospital.
India on Tuesday sought a thorough probe into Hadi’s death after allegations led to anti-India sentiment. Relations between India and Bangladesh have been under strain since the interim government took office, with India raising concerns over attacks on minorities.
