Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned from nearly 17 years in exile on Thursday with a promise to deliver safety and justice if his party wins next year's elections.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from Dhaka’s airport to a reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners and flowers, as senior BNP leaders received Rahman under tight security.
Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018.
His return comes as Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of nearly 175 million people, enters a sensitive election period under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The vote is seen as crucial to restoring political stability after nearly two years of turmoil. While authorities have pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman's homecoming a defining moment for the BNP and the country's fragile political transition.
Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a white shirt, Rahman exited the airport, removed his shoes to step barefoot onto Bangladeshi soil, and picked up a handful of earth in a symbolic gesture of homecoming.
Addressing cheering crowds at the reception centre, Rahman began his speech with the words, "Beloved Bangladesh," pledging to unite people of all faiths and ensure their safety.
"We will build a Bangladesh that a mother dreams of," he said, urging Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians to join him in creating an inclusive nation.
Recalling words of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Rahman said he has a "plan" for Bangladesh.
"I have a plan – a plan for the people of my country, for my country," he stressed, adding that with cooperation, his vision of a democratic, economically strong Bangladesh can become reality, repeating his appeal: "We want peace in the country."
Rahman was convicted in absentia on charges that included money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The rulings were overturned after Hasina was ousted last year in a student-led uprising, clearing the legal barriers to his return.
His homecoming also carries personal urgency, with Khaleda seriously ill for months. Rahman went on to visit her in hospital.
The political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina's removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda largely alternated in office.
Nahid Islam, the leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the youth protest movement that toppled Hasina, expressed hope that Rahman would help shape Bangladesh's democratic future.
"Our main challenge now is to build a culture of coexistence and healthy competition in the new political reality," he said.
A December survey by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race.
Hasina's Awami League party, which has been barred from the Feb. 12 election, has threatened unrest that some fear could disrupt the vote.
