After nearly 18 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman will return to Dhaka on Thursday (December 25, 2026), formally marking the official launch of the party’s campaign for the February 12 general election.
According to BNP sources, Mr. Rahman is scheduled to address supporters and visit his ailing mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who remains hospitalised in the capital.
Eyeing polls, Khaleda Zia’s self-exiled son Tarique Rahman plans return to Bangladesh after 17 years
Anticipating a large crowd, the interim government has announced that the elevated expressway of Dhaka, a major arterial road, will remain toll free during the daytime on Thursday (December 25).
Party sources said the spurt in violence in Bangladesh over the past week did not affect Mr. Rahman’s plans to return home and that a large number of BNP supporters drawn from across the country are expected to greet him at the airport, where he is scheduled to arrive aboard a Biman Bangladesh aircraft around midday on Thursday (December 25). Mr. Rahman left Bangladesh during the interim rule of 2007-08, after he was imprisoned and later flown to the U.K. to seek medical treatment due to a deteriorating health condition.
