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Tarique Rahman, then Senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, left Dhaka for London on September 11, 2008, for medical treatment. While in London, he was elevated to Senior Vice President of the party and, following the imprisonment of party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in 2018, has been serving as the acting chairman. He has not returned to the country due to over a hundred cases and convictions in several cases during the Awami League's decade and a half in power. Following the fall of the Awami League government in the face of a student-public uprising last August, a path for Tarique Rahman's return seemed to open. However, nine months have passed, and he has yet to return, continuing to lead the party from London. Party leaders have no definitive answer to when he might return, often deflecting the question with the vague statement that he will return "soon." But the end of this "soon" remains elusive.
With Begum Khaleda Zia's return to the country tomorrow, all eyes are now on when Tarique Rahman will follow suit from London.
During the military-backed caretaker government of One-Eleven and after the Awami League came to power in 2008, 130 cases were filed against Tarique Rahman, including the highly controversial August 21st grenade attack case. The BNP has consistently maintained that these cases are politically motivated and part of a conspiracy against Tarique Rahman. Among the numerous cases, Tarique Rahman has been convicted in four trial court verdicts. In the August 21st grenade attack case, the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Following the events of last August 5th, BNP's Legal Affairs Secretary Kayser Kamal stated that Tarique Rahman would return to the country only after being acquitted of all cases through legal processes. Tarique Rahman was acquitted in the August 21st grenade attack case on December 2nd of last year. Most recently, on March 20th of this year, he was acquitted in a bribery case. With this, he has now been acquitted in all cases against him.
During the previous Awami League government's tenure, BNP leaders frequently stated in various speeches and statements that Tarique Rahman would return to the country after completing his medical treatment. However, the party has not provided any information on whether his treatment has actually concluded. Nevertheless, Tarique Rahman publicly re-emerged into politics in 2015 through a discussion organized by the Newham BNP in London. Since the imprisonment of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on February 8, 2018, he has been serving as the acting chairman of the large party. In April 2015, the Awami League government attempted to extradite Tarique Rahman by issuing a Red Alert through Interpol, but he successfully challenged it through legal means.
Having lived in London for over fifteen years, Tarique Rahman has developed a strong personal relationship with the leaders of the UK BNP, beyond political ties. This correspondent spoke with at least ten leaders of the UK BNP, including the president and general secretary. However, none of them could provide a specific date for Tarique Rahman's return, only reiterating the "soon" timeframe. They were also unable to specify the reasons for the delay in his return.
Political analyst and journalist Jubayer Babu, residing in the UK, stated that Tarique Rahman has been eager to return to the country for the past sixteen years. He believes that Tarique Rahman's return is now just a matter of time.
When contacted about Tarique Rahman's return, BNP Chairperson's personal physician and Standing Committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, currently in London, said, "When he goes to the country, Inshallah, you will all know long before. He is fulfilling his responsibilities from here. He will go according to what he considers most convenient after considering everything. I have no further answer than this."
Sources suggest that he might return to the country after the election atmosphere begins but before the announcement of the election schedule.
