Bangladesh’s acting leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, declared that he had “a plan for the people and for the country” while squatting among a sea of people on the outskirts of Dhaka.
It has taken 17 years to develop. The critically ill BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s son, who had been living in exile since 2008, made his first appearance in Dhaka on Thursday. At a rally to welcome him home, tens of thousands of supporters gathered.
Rahman remarked, “We want peace.” Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians make up this nation’s population from the hills and plains. Every woman, man, and child can leave home safely and return to Bangladesh in a secure environment.
Following the assassination of renowned youth leader Osman Hadi and the upcoming February 2026 national election, his return comes at a time when Bangladesh’s political uncertainty and tensions are heightened. Rahman is regarded as a front-runner in the polls, while the BNP has long been viewed as the party’s front-runner.
However, the country’s two leading newspapers’ offices were set on fire and a Hindu man was lynched as a result of Hadi’s murder, and growing political tensions had sparked fears that the election might be postponed.
According to analysts, Tarique Rahman’s appearance and his speech are likely to help calm the country’s political climate and help to keep the election in Bangladesh on schedule.
“His arrival has opened a new window of opportunity,” he said. According to Asif Mohammad Shahan, professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka, “I think this will lessen the uncertainty surrounding the election and give the country the sense of stability that it needs.”
Even a few days ago, none of this was guaranteed.
stability to be uncertainty
It had long been anticipated that Rahman, whose father, Ziaur Rahman, served as president from 1977 until his assassination in 1981, would have a significant influence on the BNP’s chances of winning in the upcoming elections. His mother, Khaleda Zia, is currently in critical condition. However, his exiled status had not changed until recently.
Rahman had already resisted making a return. Shahan remarked, “Can Rahman truly lead? ” While his arrival now clears that uncertainty but raises a new question.
The political situation will improve significantly, according to Shahan, if he takes a strong stand against extremism, assures the electorate that he understands their concerns, pledges to bring about normalcy, and establishes a firm hold over the party apparatus, and does so with impunity.
However, Shahan predicted that “things will deteriorate” if Rahman didn’t deliver a clear message.
The public fervour over Rahman’s return, according to Mubashar Hasan, an adjunct researcher at Western Sydney University’s Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI), suggested that he might benefit from support from people who are not traditionally BNP voters.
In Bangladesh, many will likely view the party as a stabilizing force following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina following extensive student-led protests, Hasan said, adding that “people’s interest and reaction to his return is not limited to the BNP alone. It includes people from all walks of life.” After Hasina fled to India in August 2024, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has received increasing criticism for failing to uphold the promise of wider reforms.
According to Hasan, the BNP’s organizational and political strength was also demonstrated by the enormous rally of Rahman’s supporters to greet him.
However, Hasan added that Rahman might benefit from having another factor in place: Many people in Bangladesh believe Khaleda Zia’s son was unfairly treated and forced to leave the country. Rahman was charged under a caretaker government that was supported by the military and existed between 2006 and 2009. In some of those cases, he was later found guilty in absentia.
The son’s return
The political tide had turned against Rahman after the BNP last lost control in 2006, according to  .
During the Sheikh Hasina government, he faced a number of convictions, ranging from murder to corruption, and the Bangladeshi media was flooded with reports of his alleged misdeeds.
He managed to maintain its unity and maintain a strong hold over his party, though. He had a second chance as a result of the uprising in 2024. Over the past year and a half, all of his cases have been dropped, and his convictions have been overstayed, allowing for his return.
His focus on policy will be his defining characteristic as a politician. He has a plan, according to US-based Bangladeshi geopolitical columnist Shafquat Rabbee, who is well-known as a policy buff within his inner circle and who he frequently stated in his speech in front of millions of supporters.
His approach to India will be a significant part of his plan and will be closely monitored throughout South Asia.
Adult is present in the room.
India has traditionally had a tense relationship with the BNP, which has always been effective whenever the Bangladeshi party is in power, but far too frequently blatantly demonstrating that it preferred Hasina and her Awami League as partners.
The BNP’s decades-long alliance with the nation’s largest Islamist group, Jamaat-e-Islami, weakened ties with India. The Jamaat has historically advocated closer ties with Islamabad and opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan.
The BNP has maintained a comparatively restrained attitude in recent months despite intense anti-India rhetoric from various political parties in Bangladesh.
It has also attempted to position itself as a centrist party, appearing to be eager to fill the political vacuum left by the Awami League, which has been prohibited from participating in the February elections.
Political observers believe Tarique Rahman is unlikely to be a vehement anti-Indian politician despite adopting the slogan “Bangladesh First.”
According to Rabbee, “India and Tarique back in Bangladesh will ultimately have an adult in the room with serious political muscle to negotiate with.”
A significant number of voters are still unsure as a result of recent political surveys in Bangladesh.
Rahman’s return, according to analysts, should also benefit the BNP.
According to Shahan of the University of Dhaka, “His presence will undoubtedly energise the party base and persuade undecided voters to support the BNP.” If he performs, the BNP may win in a landslide in the election.
Source: Aljazeera
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