BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman lands in Dhaka after 17 years of exile

Dhaka: Ending 17 years of exile, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday, prompting momentous mobilisation by his supporters and heightened security measures by the interim government.

Rahman, the son of the late President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, departed from London on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on Wednesday local time. 

Extensive welcoming arrangements have been coordinated by the BNP. Senior leadership, including members of the Standing Committee, will be present at the airport to greet the acting chief. To control the anticipated influx of thousands of activists, airport authorities have enforced a 24-hour ban on all visitors. This restriction, which began at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday and lasts until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, limits airport entry strictly to passengers holding valid passports and tickets.

The interim government has expressed its support for the return of the prominent political figure. Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary for the chief adviser, stated that authorities are working closely with the BNP to finalise security protocols and are making "every effort" to accommodate the party's specific requests for Rahman's safety.

Upon his arrival, Rahman is slated to attend a brief reception and deliver an address on the 300 Feet Road, a thoroughfare recently renamed the 36 July Expressway. Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP Standing Committee and head of the homecoming committee, confirmed that after the public address, Rahman will visit Evercare Hospital before retiring to his residence on Gulshan Avenue.

The return also marks Rahman's formal re-entry into the country's electoral process. He is scheduled to register as a voter on Saturday, December 27, an appointment for which election offices will remain open to allow him to secure his national identity card. This administrative step follows the collection of nomination papers on his behalf in Bogura for the general elections set for February 12. Local party officials confirmed that papers were obtained for Rahman in the Bogura-6 constituency and for his mother, Khaleda Zia, in Bogura-7.

With inputs from ANI