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Published : 07 Oct 2025, 03:12 AM
Tarique Rahman has said he will return home to take part in the upcoming national elections.
In an interview with the Financial Times, his first face-to-face English language interview with the British daily, the BNP's acting chairman expressed firm confidence that his party will secure a landslide victory following the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s fall.
He insisted that the student-led movement that toppled Hasina’s “authoritarian regime” would only be fulfilled through a “free and credible” election.
“We are confident we will win,” he said. “We strongly believe we are in a position to form the government alone.”
Tarique added that his return to Bangladesh was imminent. “I think the time is very close for my return to Bangladesh.”
The 59-year-old is widely viewed as the frontrunner for prime minister, as Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has banned the Awami League from political activity.
He accused the Awami League of being “fascist” and said the BNP would open its doors to new political forces, including student leaders who spearheaded last year’s uprising. “We will welcome them into politics,” he said. “They are young, they have a future.”
The BNP acting chairman outlined parts of his economic vision for the country’s 170 million citizens, promising to diversify beyond garments by turning Bangladesh into a “supply hub” for global e-commerce giants such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba.
He also pledged a “Bangladesh before all” foreign policy with India, aimed at resetting what he described as a “one-sided” relationship.
