{"id":6514,"date":"2025-12-25T07:24:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T07:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=6514"},"modified":"2025-12-25T07:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T07:24:25","slug":"bangladesh-opposition-leader-tarique-rahman-returns-after-17-years-in-exile-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=6514","title":{"rendered":"Bangladesh opposition leader Tarique Rahman returns after 17 years in exile | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>The acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is considered a top prime ministerial candidate for February\u2019s election.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 25 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">25 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p class=\"p1\">The heir to Bangladesh\u2019s longtime ruling family and leader of the country\u2019s powerful opposition, Tarique Rahman, has returned to the country after nearly 17 years in exile, his party said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Rahman, 60, an aspiring prime minister who has lived in London since he fled Bangladesh in 2008 over what he called politically motivated persecution, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p class=\"p1\">Acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), he is expected to take the reins from his ailing mother, 80-year-old former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined \u200bthe route from the capital\u2019s airport to the reception venue, waving party \u200dflags and carrying placards, banners and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the airport under tight security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dressed in a light grey, finely chequered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman waved to the crowd with a smile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The BNP earlier said it aims to gather up to five million supporters in the capital to welcome Rahman, for what it called an \u201cunprecedented\u201d mobilisation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Rahman is widely viewed as the prime ministerial frontrunner in February\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">His arrival comes as the BNP regains momentum \u2013 after the 2024 ouster of longtime leader Sheikh Hasina.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"shifting-political-landscape\">Shifting political landscape<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Rahman had been unable to return to Bangladesh while facing multiple criminal cases at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">He was convicted in absentia on charges that included money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate Hasina, but the rulings were overturned after Hasina was \u200cousted last year in a student-led uprising, clearing the legal barriers to his return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">His homecoming also carries personal urgency, with Khaleda Zia seriously ill for months. Party officials said Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception \u200cvenue before visiting his mother.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina\u2019s removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda \u200cZia largely alternated in office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">A December survey by the United States-based \u2060International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Hasina\u2019s Awami League party, which has been barred from the election, has \u200cthreatened unrest that some fear could disrupt the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Bangladesh is heading to the polls under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. While authorities have pledged a free and \u200dpeaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman\u2019s return a defining moment for the BNP and the country\u2019s fragile political transition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is considered a top prime ministerial candidate for February\u2019s election. Published On 25 Dec 202525 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The heir to Bangladesh\u2019s longtime ruling family and leader of the country\u2019s powerful opposition, Tarique Rahman, has returned to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}