The future of Bangladesh will be “inclusive,” where all communities feel “secure,” and children will have a future filled with hope, said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, on Saturday (December 27, 2025). Emphasising ‘inclusivity’ and ‘peace,’ Mr. Rahman said he wishes to look beyond “politics driven by vengeance,” which has been a prominent feature of contemporary Bangladesh, arguing that the “true power of Bangladesh” lies in its unity.

“When I spoke yesterday, I spoke of a plan — not just a dream — for Bangladesh’s future: a country where peace and dignity thrive, where every community feels secure and valued, and where every child can grow up with hope,” said Mr. Rahman on his official handle on X.

Elaborating on his December 25 speech, Mr. Rahman said his plan was for “all Bangladeshis — a united, inclusive Bangladesh, a Bangladesh that moves forward together.”

“I appreciate the thoughtful reflections that emphasised democracy, multiparty coexistence, and the enduring will of the people. I am grateful for the warm welcomes and for the hope expressed for a democratic, peaceful political culture, as well as the call to move beyond politics driven by vengeance. I take these words with humility and respect,” said Mr. Rahman, who has drawn enormous crowds at public gatherings held since his arrival on December 25.

Soon after his arrival, on December 25, he addressed a public meeting at the July 36 Expressway in Dhaka, where he called for a political future in which all religious and ethnic communities could live side by side in Bangladesh. He subsequently visited the grave of his father, General Ziaur Rahman, located near the National Parliament, paid his respects at the Shaheed Minar, and offered prayers at the grave of slain Islamist youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi on the Dhaka University campus.

Following Mr. Rahman’s return, the Official Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs here said that his arrival in Bangladesh, after years of self-exile, should be viewed in the “context” of India’s support for “free, fair, inclusive, and participatory” elections to be held in Bangladesh in February 2026. “Thank you for welcoming me home,” said Mr. Rahman in his message, reiterating that “the true power of Bangladesh always lies in its people — when united.”

Bangladeshi heavyweight politician Tarique Rahman said Monday (October 6, 2025) he would return “soon” after 17 years in self-imposed exile to contest the first elections since a 2024 mass uprising.

Rahman, 59, heir to Bangladesh’s longtime ruling family as son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), widely seen as a key frontrunner in the upcoming polls.

“For some reasonable reasons my return hasn’t happened… but the time has come, and I will return soon, God willing,” Rahman told BBC Bangla in an interview broadcast Monday (October 6).

The elections, due in February 2026, will be the first since a mass uprising ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year, ending her 15-year hardline rule — during which she crushed the BNP.

Mr. Rahman, known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, has lived in London since 2008, saying he fled politically-motivated persecution.

Since Ms. Hasina’s fall, Mr. Rahman has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him; a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally, which he always denied.

Mr. Rahman has emerged as an outspoken figure on social media and a rallying point for BNP supporters.

“I am running in the election,” he told the BBC, speaking from London.

Regarding the possibility of assuming office as prime Minister if the BNP forms the government, he said: “The people will decide.”

It is unclear if his mother, 80-year-old Khaleda Zia, who has suffered ill health after being jailed during Hasina’s tenure, will run again herself or play a guiding role behind her son.

“She went to jail in good health and returned with ailments, she was deprived of her right to proper treatment,” he said.

“But… if her health permits, she will definitely contribute to the election.”

He also spoke on the ban on Hasina’s Awami League ordered by the interim government of Muhammad Yunus, who will step down after the elections.

Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to attend her trial for ordering a deadly crackdown against the uprising.

Hasina has refused to recognise the court’s authority.

The charges amount to crimes against humanity in Bangladesh.

“Those who are responsible for such cruelties, those who ordered them, must be punished. This is not about vengeance,” Tarique added.

“I strongly believe people cannot support a political party or its activists who murder, forcibly disappear people, or launder money,” he added.