Even though an interim government has started functioning in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, there is speculation that there is no immediate possibility of BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman returning to the country.
"When the leader's (Tarique's) return date is set, a press conference will be held to inform everyone. He will return after informing the people of the country. Before that, he will also speak with the community in London where he has lived for a long time," said BNP chairperson’s advisor and president of the party’s UK chapter, MA Malek.
Sources close to Tarique in London indicated that he would observe the situation for some more time, hold meetings with a few key party leaders and then fix the date of his return.
Until then, he planned to work from London with the party and affiliated organizations, focusing on the upcoming elections, they said.
Tarique Rahman has been residing in the UK for over 15 years. His lawyers are coordinating the necessary immigration procedures for his return, while the legal representatives in the country are handling the court verdicts against him.
Nasir Ahmed Shaheen, president of the UK Swechhasebak Dal, the BNP’s volunteer wing, who is known to be close to Tarique, said there was no specific information about his return at the moment, but he would return soon.