After nearly two decades in exile, the return of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to Bangladesh cannot be understood merely as a personal event. It is, instead, a political moment shaped by time, circumstances, and the cumulative failures of governance for the past years.
His long stay in London was not a period of political dormancy. It coincided with a phase in which Bangladesh’s democratic institutions steadily withered, opposition space narrowed, and public trust in the electoral process eroded.
Bangladesh had then witnessed the consolidation of a political order defined by centralized authority, shrinking dissent, and institutional compliance during this period, where elections lost credibility, accountability mechanisms weakened, and opposition politics were increasingly stifled.
Tarique Rahman remained outside the country, but he could not be removed from the political process. On the contrary, attempts to sideline him politically produced an unintended outcome: His absence elevated him into a symbol of sustained opposition rather than diminishing his influence.
Since 2008, Tarique Rahman has continued to exercise party leadership from abroad. His political relevance endured not because of proximity, but because of continuity.
Party decisions, organizational restructuring, and strategic direction were shaped under his leadership. By using digital communications and virtual coordination, BNP adapted to the constraints imposed upon it. Distance became a logistical challenge, not a political barrier.
More importantly, BNP’s survival as a coherent opposition force during this period was not incidental. It was the result of sustained resistance to an authoritarian political system, which contributed to rebuilding public confidence in BNP as a viable alternative over time.
The political and psychological groundwork laid during these years later found expression in the mass uprising of July 2024.
Bangladesh now finds itself at a familiar but critical juncture. Political parties and platforms are numerous, yet credible leadership remains scarce.
An interim government is in place, but its authority is largely administrative rather than political. Decision-making is guided more by bureaucratic process than by democratic vision, offering limited reassurance to a population seeking direction after prolonged political stagnation.
Meanwhile, narratives of “new politics” have struggled to translate into institutional relevance or public confidence.
In this context, leadership is increasingly defined not by slogans, but by political continuity, organizational capacity, and public recognition.
Tarique Rahman’s role has expanded beyond party boundaries. He is no longer viewed solely as the BNP’s acting chairman, but as a central figure in the broader national political discourse. Under his leadership, the BNP has re-emerged as the coveted and electorally-viable political force in the country.
For much of the past decade and a half, Bangladesh had operated under a system marked by compromised elections and limited accountability. The politicization of state institutions and the entrenchment of impunity became recurring features of governance.
Throughout this period, the BNP remained the principal political force challenging this structure. Legal pressure and political inducements failed to alter its stance. That refusal to compromise preserved the party’s unity and sustained public expectations of political change.
Leadership, however, is ultimately tested not by resistance alone, but by the capacity to offer direction. Tarique Rahman’s 31-point reform proposal represents an attempt to articulate such a direction.
It outlines institutional reforms, including an independent Election Commission, judicial autonomy, administrative neutrality, and a strengthened Anti-Corruption Commission, alongside socio-economic priorities such as investment in education, healthcare expansion, job creation, and targeted social protection.
Taken together, these proposals function less as campaign promises and more as a well-thought-out framework for institutional recovery of a country that long endured oppression and discrimination.
Tarique Rahman’s return to Dhaka, therefore, bears significance beyond the party's need; it is needed for the national revival as a whole. His homecoming restores a competitive dynamic that has long been absent and reopens space for political contestation.
The anticipated public response should be understood as an expression of accumulated political expectation rather than mere partisan mobilization.
Notably, Tarique Rahman’s rhetoric avoids the language of retribution. Instead, it centres on accountability, the rule of law, institutional reform, and social cohesion.
Justice for victims of political violence, protection of minority rights, and modernization of state institutions feature prominently in his stated priorities.
The underlying argument is a pragmatic one: Durable political change cannot be brought about in a deeply polarized society.
Rooted in the inclusive nationalism articulated by Ziaur Rahman and the political resolve demonstrated by Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman’s leadership reflects both inheritance and adaptation. His approach reinterprets nationalism through the lens of democratic participation, voting rights, and state accountability.
As Bangladesh navigates its current political transition, the balance of influence is shifting. In that evolving landscape, Tarique Rahman’s return is seen as an expression of a new political reality shaped by present crises.
In the history of Bangladesh’s politics, this return will mark a watershed moment, in which the nature of “power” is inevitably shifting from the powerful to the people.
AKM Wahiduzzaman is ICT affairs secretary at the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
