Tarique Rahman to return on Dec 25 after 18 years in exile
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday night said the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh on 25 December, ending nearly 18 years of exile.
“It is with great joy that I inform you that our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman – the most beloved leader of millions, who has been in exile for almost 18 years and has led the democratic movement for more than a decade – will arrive in Dhaka on 25 December,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, Fakhrul expressed hope that Tarique’s return would help remove obstacles on the path to democracy.
“We believe that once our Acting Chairman returns home, the barriers placed before the democratic transition will begin to disappear,” he added.
Fakhrul said the news of Tarique’s homecoming would bring a “message of relief” for the entire nation.
He also said their party welcomes Tarique’s return with “great happiness” and wants to share that joy with the entire country.
Referring to a meeting in London between the BNP Acting Chairman and the Chief Adviser, Fakhrul said it was decided that the national parliamentary election would be held within February, which removed all doubts regarding the election.
“With the announcement of the election schedule yesterday, the electoral process has started, and people across the country now have hopes that it will be carried out,” he added.
During the 1/11 government, Tarique Rahman was arrested on March 7, 2007. He was granted bail on September 3, 2008, and left for London with his family on September 11 for medical treatment. Since then, he has been living in London with wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.
During the last Awami League government, he was sentenced in five different cases in his absence, while around 100 cases were filed against him.
But after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, he was cleared of all charges through legal processes. Now, he has no cases pending against him.
Fakhrul condemned the shooting of Dhaka-8 independent candidate Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, calling it “a conspiracy to sabotage the election”.
“The incident shows that evil forces are working to disrupt the election. We strongly condemn the attack and demand the immediate arrest of those responsible,” he said.
Fakhrul also criticised the behaviour of supporters of a political party at Dhaka Medical College Hospital when BNP leader Mirza Abbas went there after hearing about the attack on Hadi.
“I cannot remain silent on this. Our Standing Committee senior member and long-time BNP leader, Mirza Abbas, who is a candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, naturally went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital upon hearing the news of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi being shot, to show his sympathy as a political leader,” he said.
But, unfortunately, Fakhrul said, some individuals and supporters of that party, along with a few conspirators, gathered there, shouted provocative slogans, and at one point tried to create a mob violence.
“We strongly condemn that, and we want to warn all parties that if such behaviour happens, BNP will not remain silent and will respond immediately,” he said.
He also said the BNP does not want any kind of unrest or violence, but if the party comes under attack, it will not take it lightly, as BNP knows how to respond.
Fakhrul urged all political parties to refrain from creating mob violence, inciting tension, or disrupting the election process. “Everyone should focus on restoring calm and ensuring a fair election. Otherwise, the path of democratic transition will be blocked, and the journey of democracy will be obstructed. I urge all sides to take this matter seriously.”
Earlier, the BNP National Standing Committee held a meeting chaired by Tarique Rahman via video link, starting at 9 pm.
BNP Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Selima Rahman and Hafizuddin Ahmed, among others, were present at the press conference.