Tarique Rahman, the son of ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and the acting leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is set to return to Bangladesh on December 25, concluding 17 years in self-exile in London.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The announcement by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir comes at an intensely fraught political moment, just weeks before the nation’s 13th parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12.
Urgent Political Calculus
Rahman’s homecoming follows a period of renewed political dynamism for the BNP, sparked by the student-led uprising that successfully forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office in August 2024. Having long directed party strategy from abroad, Rahman’s physical return places him directly at the helm of the BNP’s election campaign, which aims to shape the country’s post-Hasina political future.
The party has confirmed his pivotal role: if his mother, Khaleda Zia, remains too ill to take on political responsibilities, Tarique Rahman will stand as the BNP’s candidate for the office of Prime Minister. Alamgir described the decision to return as both “emotionally profound” and “politically essential.”
Khaleda Zia’s Worsening Health
The urgency of Rahman’s return is underscored by the critical health condition of his mother. Eighty-year-old Khaleda Zia has been receiving intensive care at Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital since November 23 for multiple complications.
The head of her medical board, cardiologist Shahabuddin Talukdar, stated that Zia was placed on elective ventilator support after her condition worsened, characterized by a sudden drop in oxygen levels and a rise in carbon dioxide. This support is intended to allow her lungs and other vital organs a period of rest, as the former PM battles advanced health issues.
Rahman’s inability to be with his mother during this medical crisis, which BNP leaders previously attributed to “obscure reasons,” will now finally end, allowing him to be present for both his family and the nation’s most crucial election in years.
