Tarique Rahman: A hanging political debut in Bangladesh’s historical past

Tarique Rahman, the chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering has mentioned that his get together won’t maintain a victory rally as he seems poised for a historic victory within the essential election of 2026. Mr. Rahman gained two seats — Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 constituencies making a hanging political debut in Bangladesh’s historical past. Mr. Rahman’s world is ready to vary and it has taken barely two months for that to occur. He stepped out of the wooden paneled VVIP arrival lounge of the Hazrat Shah Jalal Worldwide Airport on December 25 2025, and took to the little grassy patch subsequent to the automotive park and took off his footwear and stepped on the bottom.

It was an indication that he had now reconnected with the land of his delivery and had lastly acquired himself the political launch that he was denied when Bangladesh spiraled into political uncertainty in late 2006 which prevented him from contesting his first parliamentary election. Within the speech delivered after coming back from London, he struck an inclusive tone calling for inter-communal and inter-ethnic concord in Bangladesh and with a watch to his political enemies, acquired all the way down to dismantling a few of the allegations that BNP’s opponents, particularly the deposed Awami League had leveled in opposition to the get together.

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Throughout the interval from 2009-’24, Sheikh Hasina had repeatedly described the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering and Tarique’s mom Khaleda Zia as pro-Pakistan. Ms. Hasina’s criticism was relentless and Mr. Tarique in his speech made it some extent to handle the allegation first. Within the speech delivered in 36 July Expressway, Mr. Tarique invoked BNP’s connection to the liberation struggle of 1971 and the November 7, 1971 political improvement that introduced his late father Common Zia-ur Rahman to de facto energy. Within the course of, Mr. Tarique confirmed that like Ms. Hasina who performed on the story of her father, he too would construct on the legends of his father Common Zia-ur Rahman who started as a soldier within the Pakistan military and fought in opposition to India in 1965 struggle however defected from the Pakistan navy and declared independence of East Pakistan hours after the Pakistan navy launched Operation Searchlight on March 25, 1971. In step with the custom, the election marketing campaign of BNP targeted on proudly owning each the spirits of the Liberation Conflict of 1971 in addition to the anti-Sheikh Hasina motion of July-August 2024.

Together with his marketing campaign speeches, Mr. Rahman has confirmed that this time, he has come prepared with an  alternate imaginative and prescient for Bangladesh the place the sooner regime’s iconography can be challenged by the icons of BNP.

The hundreds of thousands of people that greeted him on December 25 in addition to on December 26 may need given him a clean arrival however the results of the election is sure to create a giant problem for Mr. Rahman within the coming days because the Jamaat-e-Islami has emerged because the second largest get together in Bangladesh’s Jatiyo Sansad with the 11-party alliance below Jamaat’s management getting not less than 71 seats – a historic improvement by itself. Two months in the past, Jamaat-e-Islami’s chief Shafiqur Rahman had mentioned that his get together, the biggest Islamist get together of Bangladesh would “hold a watch” on Mr. Rahman. The remark was significantly important that by speaking about inclusion, Mr. Rahman had conveyed that this time round, not like his final stint that resulted in 2007, he’ll observe a distinct trajectory.

Additionally Learn | ‘Darkish Prince’ rising

The political trajectory of Mr. Rahman was formed by the traumatic reminiscences of his childhood. On Could 29 1981, when Mr. Rahman was in his teenagers, his father Common Rahman left for the port metropolis of Chittagong for an unscheduled go to. A day later, he was shot and killed in an tried coup that lasted solely three days. Common Zia’s mortal stays had been introduced again to Dhaka and he was given a burial in entrance of the Parliament. The interval after the brutal assassination of Common Zia , BNP was energetically led by Khaleda Zia who typically wore white and teamed up with arc enemy Sheikh Hasina to problem navy dictator Hossein Mohammed Ershad who was overthrown within the 1990 protest. Khaleda Zia turned the primary feminine Prime Minister of Bangladesh by successful election held in 1991. Mr. Tarique Rahman began his formal political journey on June 22, 2002 when BNP appointed him as the primary joint secretary.

Throughout this time, Mr. Tarique Rahman earned a reputation for himself which discovered point out within the cables of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka that had been launched by Wikileaks in 2005. The second coming of Khaleda Zia had coincided with the U.S. struggle on terror that performed out in Af-Pak and considerably impacted the remainder of South Asia. Amidst a number of legacy safety points, the BNP was additionally accused of internet hosting the ULFA management in Dhaka which gave Bangladesh-India relation below Khaleda Zia a troublesome status. However the extra severe points that BNP confronted got here from the allegation of hyperlinks between a few of the prime figures of BNP and the extremist Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh led by Bangla Bhai. Whereas JMB was branded a terrorist organisation internationally, Khaleda refused to recognise the hyperlinks that had been reported between a number of leaders of her get together and the phobia group. The U.S. Embassy cable refers to Mr. Tarique Rahman’s “steely nerves” for which he was being recognised contained in the get together and refers to him as “The Darkish Prince”. “Tarique Rahman has the Zia title, political crafty,” mentioned a cable which referred to him as a “uniquely polarizing determine in Bangladeshi politics” and “ruthless”. The U.S. embassy had predicted that Mr. Tarique Rahman was on the point of contest the 2007 election, however cautioned that he wouldn’t get that form of assist inside the get together if Khaleda Zia pushed arduous to for her son to succeed as the following Prime Minister.

In his homecoming speech, Mr. Tarique Rahman referred to the military-backed interim authorities of President Iazuddin Ahmed who on January 11, 2007 declared emergency in Bangladesh as an “worldwide conspiracy”. The emergency launched a serious anti-corruption drive that focused each Sheikh Hasina in addition to Khaleda Zia. It was nonetheless the therapy of Mr. Tarique Rahman within the fingers of the officers in Bangladesh that generated sympathy for him.

Assembly a overseas diplomat who had visited him in his London flat in 2009, Mr. Rahman had mentioned that he was tortured in custody that left him with a spinal damage that required consideration. Thereafter Mr. Rahman remained restricted to London, taking care of the works of BNP within the U.Ok. and speaking to his followers by means of video hyperlink whereas assembly overseas diplomats and visiting politicians from dwelling. With the decline within the well being of Khaleda Zia, Mr. Tarique’s place within the get together more and more turned clear which was additional firmed up as he supported boycott of 2014, 2018 2024 elections because it had demanded that polls ought to be held below a caretaker authorities accusing the Hasina regime of being biased

The spectacular welcome given to him has ensured that Mr. Tarique Rahman can be a serious participant and within the absence of his mom Khaleda Zia the election has given him a transparent mandate to take over because the Prime Minister. Submit-poll recognition is already pouring in. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has congratulated him and america has additionally reached out.

On this backdrop his dealing with of worldwide points and particularly India’s considerations can be watched keenly. One of many main objects that can require his quick consideration is the legislation and order scenario in addition to the negotiation for the Ganga Waters Settlement that must be negotiated for a renewal later this yr. There have been fears that the present of public assist that was on show on December 25 2025 and subsequently on the passing away of Khaleda Zia, had fizzled out, however the election victory with nearly 218 seats has proven that his get together has obtained an absolute majority within the Jatiyo Sansad. Nonetheless the approaching weeks are going to be difficult as BNP must take care of the constructive final result to the referendum on ‘July Constitution’ that requires BNP to vary the structure of Bangladesh that envisages making a much less highly effective submit of Prime Minister and switch a few of the powers of the chief powers of the PM to the President’s workplace. It stays to be seen how Rahman will negotiate with the resurgent Jamaat-e-Islami and students-led get together NCP relating to the referendum’s outcome whereas he settles down to control.