A senior member of BNP’s standing committee, A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain, has announced that party leader Tarique Rahman will soon return to Bangladesh to lead the final phase of the movement to restore democracy.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after paying tribute at the grave of late President Ziaur Rahman in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Zahid Hossain said, “Our acting chairman is not only leading BNP. Mr. Tarique Rahman is the leader of all people involved in the movement to restore democracy. As I mentioned a few days ago, you will see that—within a few weeks, Inshallah, he will return to lead not just BNP’s election process, but also the concluding phase of the democracy restoration movement.”
Tarique Rahman was arrested during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007–08 and later went to London for medical treatment in 2008. Since then, he has been residing there with his family, managing BNP activities from abroad.
Over the past decade and a half, he has not returned to Bangladesh due to various legal cases and trials under the Awami League government.
Although the change in government opened the path for his return, he has not yet come back. During the interim government period, he was acquitted of all cases. BNP leaders, however, have not specified an exact date for his return.
