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Published : 26 Dec 2025, 01:54 AM
More than 17 years after he left Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman came home to a human tide.
Flags rippled along Dhaka’s eastern edge, traffic froze, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) transformed a homecoming into a demonstration of force just weeks before a pivotal election.
Barely two months before the simultaneous parliamentary elections and referendum, the BNP mobilised tens of thousands of activists from across the country, converging on the capital to project itself once again as a dominant political force.
Standing on a reception stage along the Purbachal 300 Feet Road, on Dhaka’s eastern fringe, the BNP’s acting chairman thanked the nation and framed his return as a moment of democratic renewal.
Invoking Martin Luther King Jr, Tarique told the crowd: “I have a plan -- for the people of my country, for my country.
“Today, that plan is for the people’s interest, for the country’s development, for changing the fate of the people. And if that plan, that programme, that vision is to be realised -- dear brothers and sisters -- then I will need the cooperation of every single person present in this sea of humanity, and of every force of democracy across Bangladesh.”
ROAD TO THE RALLY
Speculations surrounding Tarique’s return ended on Dec 12, when the BNP formally announced his homecoming. Preparations began immediately for what party leaders billed as the largest political gathering in years, timed deliberately with the February election in mind.
Central leaders coordinated closely with grassroots organisers to funnel supporters into the capital. Two days before the rally, activists began occupying areas around the Purbachal 36 July Expressway, also known as the 300 Feet Road.
By Wednesday night, swelling crowds had already disrupted traffic. Through the night and into early morning, tens of thousands arriving by train, bus and truck were forced to abandon their vehicles along the Airport Road.
By Thursday morning, processions streamed in from across Dhaka. Alongside party activists were ordinary citizens -- some curious, some hopeful -- drawn by the chance to see Tarique in person or hear his first address on Bangladeshi soil in more than 17 years.
By 10am, nearly two hours before his aircraft was due to land, the stretch from the 300 Feet Road to the Airport Road was packed wall to wall.
A walk along the expressway at 8am revealed an extraordinary scene. From Kuril Bishwa Road to the reception stage, the road pulsed with movement. Despite the winter cold, many had spent the night outdoors. Logistics were visibly strained -- food, shelter and toilets stretched thin -- yet the mood remained festive.
Supporters posed for photographs, recorded slogan-filled videos, chatted animatedly and passed time on their phones. Groups from outside Dhaka cooked meals by the roadside. Traffic had effectively ceased since the previous night, prompting police to advise motorists to avoid the Airport Road.
With Christmas a public holiday, fewer residents ventured out -- those who did were caught in heavy congestion.
THE WAIT FOR BG 302
As anticipation grew, attention narrowed to a single detail: the flight carrying Rahman from London. Its number — BG 302 — became an obsession, repeatedly searched online.
When the aircraft briefly touched down in Sylhet, cheers rippled through the crowd -- followed by more waiting.
At 11:40am, the plane landed at Shahjalal International Airport. The words “the leader has landed” spread quickly, sending a tremor through the crowd as supporters scrambled for vantage points. Phones were raised to capture the moment, though overloaded networks frustrated many.
TOUCHDOWN
Shortly after leaving London, Tarique posted a single word on Facebook: “Return”. As the flight entered Bangladeshi airspace, he wrote again: “In the skies of Bangladesh after 6,314 days.”
After landing in Sylhet, he shared a photograph with his wife, Zubaida Rahman.
In Dhaka, he emerged from the airport in a white shirt, black trousers and a cream-coloured suit, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Zaima Rahman. Senior BNP leaders greeted him warmly.
Inside the VIP lounge, Tarique rested briefly and phoned Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to express thanks. Then, stepping into the garden, he removed his shoes and walked barefoot, touching the soil of his homeland as slogans thundered around him.
After seeing his wife and daughter off to their Gulshan residence, Tarique boarded a specially arranged Hino Melpha bus. He remained standing at the doorway throughout the slow journey, waving continuously as the bus crept forward under heavy security and intense media coverage.
Adding a lighter footnote to the spectacle, Tarique’s family cat, Jebu -- a Siberian breed -- also arrived in Dhaka in a special carrier, drawing separate attention online.
FLEETING GLIMPSE
Word that Tarique was nearing the rally site sent another ripple through the crowd. Those who had stepped away hurried back.
Abu Taleb, perched on a road divider near the Kuril Flyover since 10am, waited four hours. At exactly 2pm, the bus passed.
“He’s come back,” Taleb said. “You’ll see -- the country will cool down. All this chaos doesn’t feel right.”
Moments later, he climbed down and left, satisfied with the brief glimpse.
Repeated stage announcements urged restraint as some supporters fell ill in the crush. Medical teams stood by.
‘I HAVE A PLAN’
Three hours and 15 minutes after leaving the airport, Tarique reached the rally ground at around 3:45pm. As he stepped onto the stage and raised his hand, a fresh wave of slogans surged through the crowd.
Beginning with “Dear Bangladesh”, he spoke of a concrete plan to change the country’s fate.
“Today, standing on the soil of Bangladesh, I want to say before you all -- I have a plan for the people of my country, for my country,” he said.
After his 15-minute speech, he briefly returned to the microphone. “Remember,” he said, “we have a plan. We have a plan for the people and for the country. In Sha Allah, we will implement that plan.”
He drew parallels between the 1971 independence struggle and what he described as a 2024 movement by students and citizens to defend freedom and sovereignty.
“Today, the people of Bangladesh want their right to speak restored. They want their democratic rights back. They want fair rights according to merit,” he said.
Calling for unity across faiths and regions, he envisioned a Bangladesh where every citizen could leave home safely and return safely.
He said the martyrs of 1971 had died for such a country, and that over the past 15 years, “hundreds and thousands” had fallen victim to enforced disappearances and killings -- not only political activists, but ordinary citizens too.
Recalling the killing of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman bin Hadi, Tarique described him as a courageous voice of the ’24 movement.
Warning of unnamed hegemonic forces, he urged restraint. “We must remain patient. We must exercise restraint,” he said, placing particular responsibility on the young.
“At all costs, we must preserve peace and order. In the face of any provocation, we must remain calm and composed.”
Seeking prayers for his mother, he said he would go directly from the rally to see Khaleda Zia -- “a person who has loved the soil of this country and its people more than her own life”.
REACTIONS
Before Tarique spoke, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed addressed the crowd.
Outside the rally, reactions were cautiously hopeful. Bangladesh JaSaD leader Mushtuq Husain said Tarique’s return had raised expectations that democratic gaps could be addressed.
“There is instability and disorder,” he said on a bdnews24.com show. “I am hopeful much of that will be reduced.”
He cautioned, however, that past violence and repression could not be ignored. “Justice remains incomplete,” he said.
National Citizen Party Convenor Nahid Islam welcomed Tarique’s return as “a positive reflection of our democratic struggle”, while Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman also extended greetings.
Late at night, the BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi thanked law enforcement for maintaining order on a day that fused spectacle, symbolism and political calculation -- a homecoming that doubled as a test of strength, and a signal of intent.
