New Delhi (EFE).– Thousands of supporters gathered in Dhaka on Thursday to welcome Tarique Rahman, the exiled opposition leader and acting head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
Rahman returned to the country after nearly 17 years abroad, just weeks before general elections scheduled for February.
Party leaders and activists, from one of the main parties expected to compete in the polls, lined the access roads to the capital’s international airport from early morning, carrying banners and chanting slogans as Rahman arrived from London.
Security forces, backed by the army, deployed a large operation to maintain order.
Upon his arrival, Rahman held a phone conversation with the head of the interim government, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, according to the BNP.
After leaving the airport, the leader traveled by road to a public rally in the streets of the capital, where thousands of supporters filled the route and gathered around a stage set up for his reception.
Rahman moved through the crowd aboard a bus, greeting attendees, while a heavy security detail escorted the convoy.
He traveled with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and his daughter, who went separately to the family residence in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighborhood, near the historic home of his mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
One of the BNP’s most prominent figures and the political heir to Zia, Rahman has led the party from exile since 2008.
He left Bangladesh amid intense political confrontation with successive governments and has since faced several convictions.
From exile, Rahman has promoted a platform focused on reconciliation and respect for fundamental rights, arguing that Bangladesh needs a renewed democratic project.
In recent months, he has urged Yunus to organize swift and transparent elections.
Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration formed after mass protests in 2024 forced the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country and is believed to be in India.
The country is navigating a fragile transition marked by political fragmentation and shifting alliances following unrest that left more than 1,400 people dead. EFE
lgm-sk
![[FILE] Iranians walk past an image of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, on May 6, 2026. EFE-EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/rss-efef0b5b29b85b6b9325be17a17f02f47a5fd846a6ew.webp?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1)
