Tariq Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned to Bangladesh on Thursday after spending 17 years in exile.

He arrived in the country from London with his wife and daughter amid heightened security in Dhaka and other major cities.

Tariq Rahman is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and his return is being viewed as a significant development in the nation’s political landscape.

Tariq Rahman landed at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet at around 10am on a Bangladesh Airlines flight.

According to officials, he later travelled to Dhaka, where police and security agencies were placed on high alert to manage large gatherings and maintain law and order.

Despite the cold weather, a significant number of party supporters and activists were present at the airport to welcome their leader.

Rahman, 60, is the son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia and acting chairman of the party that is widely expected to come out on top in the parliamentary vote set for February 12.

His return from London comes as his BNP is on the ascendant following the ouster of its arch foe, long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a student-led uprising last year.

Apart from brief transition administrations, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have alternated in power since 1991.

A December survey by the US-based International Republican Institute suggests the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race.

Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could jeopardise the vote.

Rahman’s decision to return is driven by both political developments and personal circumstances.

His mother has been seriously ill for months, prompting what party insiders describe as an urgent trip home.

Criminal convictions

Rahman has lived in London since 2008 as he faced multiple criminal convictions at home, including for money laundering and in a case related to a plot to assassinate Hasina.

He was, however, acquitted of all charges after Hasina’s removal, clearing the legal barriers that had delayed his return.

Rahman’s return comes as the Muslim-majority South Asian nation of nearly 175 million people enters a sensitive election period under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The vote is widely viewed as crucial to restoring political stability after nearly two years of turmoil.

Bangladesh is at a crossroads, with Rahman’s return testing the BNP’s ability to mobilise peacefully and the interim administration’s promise to deliver a credible transfer of power.

While the government has pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns about law enforcement.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the youth protest movement that toppled Hasina, said it views Rahman’s return positively.

“Tarique Rahman was forced into exile under severe pressure and threats, so his homecoming carries symbolic weight,” said Khan Muhammad Mursalin, an NCP spokesperson.

“His arrival will undoubtedly energise party leaders and supporters … On the path to democracy, we will stand with him.”