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Published : 18 Jan 2026, 08:17 PM
Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, has said women play a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s future when empowered.
On Sunday, she said women transform the future of their families and the nation when they are “welcomed, not sidelined”.
She spoke at a policy dialogue titled “Women in Nation Building: Policy, Potential and Bangladesh’s Future” at the Krishibid Institute in Khamarbari, Dhaka.
She emphasised that true development in Bangladesh requires women’s empowerment to extend beyond education and workplace policies to homes, institutions and societal mindsets.
“This is a responsibility for all of us,” she added.
Zaima, addressing the gathering in her first public policy-level speech since returning from abroad on Dec 25, also highlighted the contributions of her grandfather, BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, and grandmother, late BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, to women’s progress.
She said Ziaur Rahman recognised that national development could never be complete without women’s participation, opening opportunities in the ready-made garments sector that empowered millions of women for the first time.
Zaima also noted that Khaleda promoted girls’ education as a right, implementing free and conditional education programmes that transformed the lives of countless families and established gender equality in secondary education for the first time in Bangladesh.
On women’s safety, Zaima stressed digital literacy, online and offline protection, and effective legal enforcement as key areas for improvement.
She said community measures, better street lighting, and local reporting systems were essential to prevent harm.
BNP Standing Committee Member and former commerce minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury presented the party’s plans for women’s advancement, citing initiatives such as the family card programme proposed by Tarique.
