'The time has come': Tarique Rahman ends 26-year exile, vows return to Bangladesh to fight 2025 polls

BNP leader and Khaleda Zia’s son tells BBC Bangla he’ll run in the February election; signals end of London exile amid shifting political landscape

Ending years of speculation, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and eldest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has said he will “return soon” to contest the upcoming February general election, marking what could be one of Bangladesh’s most dramatic political comebacks in decades.

In an interview with BBC Bangla, Rahman, who has lived in self-imposed exile in London since 2008, said: “For some reasonable reasons my return has not happened… but the time has come, and I will return soon.”

The 58-year-old leader added, “I am running in the election as well.” Asked about whether he planned to become prime minister if his party came to power, he replied, “The people will decide.”

From exile to election trail: a comeback two decades in the making

Rahman was sent to London in 2008 by an army-backed caretaker government for medical treatment while several graft and criminal cases were pending against him, including one accusing him of masterminding a 2004 grenade attack on then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina.

He never returned, even after the Awami League came to power, reportedly to evade punitive actions, according to a report by ANI.

Now, with Hasina’s regime toppled and Bangladesh under an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Rahman’s decision to return has reshaped the political stakes.

His mother, Khaleda Zia, 80, has been ailing and largely absent from active politics. It remains unclear if she will contest again or play a guiding role from behind the scenes, ANI reported.

BNP softens stance on Yunus’ referendum proposal

Rahman’s announcement comes just as his party, the BNP, made a significant shift, agreeing to support a referendum on the so-called “July Declaration” unveiled by interim government chief Muhammad Yunus.

The declaration, made on August 5, 2025, the first anniversary of Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, calls for the 2024 July uprising to be enshrined in the Constitution. It also demands the trial of deposed Awami League leaders, recognition of those killed in the uprising, and protection for protesters involved in the movement.

The BNP had earlier opposed holding a referendum before the election, insisting that the issue be decided by the next parliament. But over the weekend, BNP leaders signalled a compromise.

Following a meeting with the National Consensus Commission, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the referendum could be held on the same day as the general election, not beforehand.

“If we try to hold a separate referendum before the election, it will need the same preparations, manpower, logistics, and budget as a general election. This will only waste time and delay the polls,” Ahmed said.

Yunus’ rise, Hasina’s fall, and a new power matrix

The shift comes in a radically altered political landscape. After last year’s violent July uprising, which saw the toppling of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, the Yunus-led interim regime banned the party’s activities pending trials of its leaders for alleged crimes, including “genocide.”

Hasina, now 78 and living in India, faces multiple charges, while many of her senior colleagues are either imprisoned or in hiding. The Election Commission has suspended the Awami League’s registration, disqualifying it from contesting the upcoming polls.

In the vacuum left behind, the BNP has re-emerged as Bangladesh’s largest political force, though it now faces new challengers, notably the National Citizen Party (NCP), a group formed by leaders of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement that spearheaded Hasina’s overthrow.

The NCP, believed to have the blessing of Muhammad Yunus, was recently registered by the Election Commission and has joined forces with Jamaat-e-Islami to push for the referendum.