File photo: Tarique Rahman, son of former PM Khaleda Zia (Picture credit: AP)
DHAKA: Tarique Rahman, former PM Khaleda Zia’s son and BNP’s heir apparent, returns to Bangladesh Thursday along with his family, ending over 17 years of self-exile. On the eve of his return, the country’s largest political party described the moment as “both politically significant and emotionally charged.”His return, along with wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima, comes less than two months before the parliamentary elections and BNP sources said his presence in campaigns as its star leader will help boost its prospects and its workers’ morale. BNP is facing the challenge of growing popularity of the coalition led by the country’s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, especially among the youth. To mark his return, BNP has organised a reception in the outskirts of Dhaka, for which the party expects thousands to gather. Rahman was detained by the 2007-2008 military-backed caretaker govt, and he went to Britain after the regime released him and has been living in London since then. He had faced multiple criminal convictions, including a case related to a plot to assassinate Hasina. He was, however, acquitted of all charges after Hasina’s removal. Though he has been leading the party from abroad, his return now comes as he prepares to take a more direct role in party affairs, sources said.
