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Published : 02 Dec 2025, 05:24 PM
BNP leader Tarique Rahman has not applied for a travel pass to return home yet, Foreign Advisor Touhid has said amid growing speculation fuelled by the critical condition of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
A travel pass will be issued "if he asks for it", Touhid told reporters at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.
Asked whether any application had been made, he said: "To my knowledge, he hasn't applied yet.
There has been much discussion about when the BNP acting chairman, who has been residing in London for 17 years, will return to the country as the country gears up for the upcoming national election in February. BNP leaders previously suggested he would return in November.
The discussion about his homecoming intensified when his mother, party chief Khaleda, was hospitalised with a serious illness.
She was admitted to Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara on the night of Nov 23. After examinations, doctors reported that she had a lung infection.
The 79-year-old has long been suffering from multiple complications, such as arthritis, diabetes, as well as kidney, liver, lung, heart, and eye problems.
On Thursday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the media that Khaleda Zia was in “critical condition”, and “extremely critical” the following day.
As concern deepened over her health, Tarique addressed speculation about his possible return in a Facebook post on Saturday, noting that the decision was not under his “sole control”.
His remark prompted the government to signal that it had no objection to his return, with several advisors assuring cooperation should he choose to come back.
After a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee on Monday night, Salahuddin Ahmed said: “He will return to Bangladesh soon.”
From that evening, social media began circulating various dates for Tarique’s potential departure for Dhaka.
On Sunday, Advisor Touhid said the government could issue a “one-time pass” within a day if Tarique wished to return.
Explaining the process, he said: “The rule is that when someone doesn't have a passport or if it's expired, and they wish to come back, we issue them a one-time pass for a single entry into the country.
“This takes one day. So, if he says today that he will come, we might issue it tomorrow, and he can board a plane the day after. There is no problem. We can provide this.”
Asked on Tuesday whether Tarique currently has a passport, Touhid replied: “I cannot say that.” Pressed further, he added that he had “no specific information” about Tarique’s homecoming.
A member of the medical board overseeing Khaleda’s treatment confirmed to bdnews24.com on Monday that her condition had worsened in hospital and that she was now under “special care”.
BNP sources say China has agreed to provide an aircraft equipped with ambulance facilities and has proposed flying her there for treatment. However, her family, particularly Tarique, would prefer to move her to the United Kingdom.
After reviewing her medical records, a Chinese medical team concluded that “it is not impossible to get her out of danger”.
The Chinese air ambulance will require a refuelling stop in Dubai or elsewhere, unlike the aircraft arranged earlier this year by the Qatari Emir, which transported her directly to London.
Responding to questions about the arrangements to send Khaleda abroad, Touhid said: “The preparation is there. If needed, she will be taken abroad if the doctors recommend it.”
Asked how long it might take to confirm her departure, he added: “We won’t be confirming this. Her relatives and party members will confirm that, but the arrangement is in place.”
