'Liberation of 2024, sacrifice by Hadi, and hope for unity': Tarique Rahman pitches 'new Bangladesh' plan in first speech after arrival

Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman returned to his country 17 years after living in self-imposed exile. Supporters gathered in large numbers to welcome the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader. Soon after his arrival in Dhaka, his wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima headed to House No. 196 on Gulshan Avenue, while the BNP leader, who stepped into the Bangladeshi soil barefoot, headed to the venue of his rally in a red and green bulletproof bus. Addressing his supporters, the aspiring prime minister and son of former PM Khaleda Zia, invoked Martin Luther King Jr and paid his tributes to radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was killed recently by unidentified gunmen.

Tarique Rahman pays tribute to Osman Hadi

Speaking about the upcoming elections, Rahman said that whosoever will be chosen after the polls, will uphold the justice system. Attempting to strike a sympathetic chord with the supporters, Rahman recalled his ailing mother Khaleda Zia and said, “As a son, my heart and soul is beside my mother near her hospital bed, but I have a duty. We have a duty. We will work together to build our Bangladesh.” He also recalled the 2024 uprising that forced former PM Sheikh Hasina to flee the country and said, “We liberated Bangladesh in 1971. We liberated it again in 2024.” Referring to Martin Luther's 'I have a dream' speech, Rahman said, "I have a plan, for the people of my country." "We need to safeguard peace in Bangladesh at any cost. Be it men, women, or children, upholding the peace and dignity of Bangladesh should always be the first priority. We will all work together and build our desired Bangladesh," said Rahman. Soon after his speech, he rushed to the hospital to meet his mother at Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara.

Upon his arrival, Rahman wrote on Facebook: “Finally in Sylhet, on the soil of Bangladesh!” Chief Adviser of the interim government, Shafiqul Alam, said that Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladeshi government is making "every effort" to ensure adequate security for Tarique Rahman.

Also Read: Bangladesh Home ministry official resigns, Tariq Rahman returns amid pressure on Yunus — What's latest from Bangladesh

Rahman has returned to Bangladesh amid renewed chaos in the country after the killing of Hadi and a Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das. He is seen as a frontrunner for the Prime Minister's post ahead of keenly watched elections scheduled for February 2026. Meanwhile, interim leader Muhammad Yunus is facing massive pressure over the killing of Hadi. Amid the unrest special assistant to the Chief Adviser of the interim government on Home Affairs, Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, resigned from his position. Hadi's brother has accused the current dispensation of killing his brother and has warned that they too will be forced to flee the country, similar to Hasina, if his brither's perpetrators are not brought to justice.

Also Read: Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman returns to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile, gets grand welcome