Dhaka, Dec 25 Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Thursday, local media reported on Wednesday, citing a party leader.
Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed outlined a detailed timeline.
As per the plan, Rahman will depart London's Heathrow Airport on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.
After arriving in Dhaka, he will deliver a brief address to party supporters and visit his mother and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently undergoing treatment in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. Rahman will also complete the formalities to become a registered voter on December 27, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.
Meanwhile, Shafiqul Alam, the Press Secretary to Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, said the interim government welcomes the homecoming of Rahman and assured that all assistance requested by his party is being provided with necessary security measures in place.
"We welcome his return," Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted Alam as saying while speaking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Alam added that security arrangements are made in consultation with BNP, taking into account the party’s requirements.
"From our part, we have the highest effort," said the Press Secretary, emphasising that the interim government has taken all security measures.
Citing sources, Dhaka Tribune reported that over 100,000 BNP supporters from the Chittagong metropolitan area, as well as the north and south districts, are expected to gather in Dhaka to receive Rahman.
His return to Bangladesh after 17 years comes at a time when the Election Commission announced that the country's 13th national parliamentary election, along with a referendum on the July Charter, will be held on February 12 next year.
Rahman, who has been leading the BNP from London and has recently been acquitted in major cases, including the August 2004 grenade attack, faces minimal legal hurdles to return.
Analysts reckon that Rahman's return and participation in the February 2026 elections will test the waters amid the ongoing turbulence in Bangladesh's politics under the Yunus-led interim government, which is under mounting pressure to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
Since the election schedule was announced, Bangladesh has been grappling with widespread violence. Critics warn that Rahman's return to the volatile political landscape in Bangladesh could deepen tension across the country.
Khaleda Zia's BNP acted hand in glove with the interim government led by Yunus in overthrowing the democratically-elected Awami League government last year.
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