PM-hopeful and Khaleda Zia’s son lands in Dhaka after 17 years

Published: 11:30 AM, 25 Dec, 2025
South Asia
PM-hopeful and Khaleda Zia’s son lands in Dhaka after 17 years
Caption: Tarique Rahman with his wife and daughter at the airport.

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight and son former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, landed in Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years in self-imposed exile.

Tarique Rahman, 60, hugged his supporters as he touched down at the Dhaka airport, accompanied by his wife and daughter, according to a video released by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Long groomed for leadership, Rahman is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport via Sylhet in Dhaka around at 11:41am local time. Earlier, the flight made a stopover at Sylhet's Osmani International Airport around 9:58am.

The family's pet cat, Zeebu, is also travelling with them, along with their two close aides, Abdur Rahman Suny and Kamal Uddin.

After landing, he was received by BNP Standing Committee members. He will travel in one of the two bulletproof vehicles imported for him to a reception in the 300 feet area of Purbachal, chosen over Suhrawardy Udyan and Manik Mia Avenue to minimise inconvenience for Dhaka residents. 

BNP standing committee members, leaders of political parties that joined the simultaneous movement and prominent figures will be present on stage, but only Tarique will address the crowd.

Following his address, Tarique will go to Evercare Hospital to visit his ailing mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment there for over a month now.

After meeting his mother, he will go to Firoza, the Zia family's residence at Gulshan‑2, via Airport Road and Kakoli Morr.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has taken multi‑layered security measures to prevent any untoward incident.

The party expects around five million people to gather in Dhaka on the day.

During the Sheikh Hasina’s 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.

Tarique has been living in London with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman.

During Awami League's tenure, Tarique was convicted in absentia in five cases and faced around 100 lawsuits. Following the fall of the AL government, all charges against him were dropped. There are currently no pending cases against him.

At the age of 22, Tarique became a member of the BNP in Bogura district in 1988. He had been involved in politics even before formally joining the organisation. He took part in the nationwide election campaign alongside his mother during the 1991 election.

In 2002, Tarique was appointed senior joint secretary general of the party.

He lost his brother, Arafat Rahman Koko, while in exile in London. During his time abroad, he was elected senior vice-chairman at the BNP's Fifth National Council in 2009 and re-elected to the position at the Sixth National Council in 2016.

Since the imprisonment of Khaleda in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018, Tarique has been serving as the acting chairman of the BNP.

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