Tarique Rahman Unable to Return to Bangladesh as Mother Khaleda Zia's Health Deteriorates

As former Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's health deteriorates, her son Tarique Rahman, who serves as the acting chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has expressed his inability to return to his homeland to be at his mother's bedside.

Critics of the interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus claim that the government has only made symbolic efforts to facilitate Rahman's return during this crucial period.

Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammed Touhid Hossain stated, "There is no restriction if Tarique Rahman wants to come back. A travel pass can be issued in one day. And if Khaleda Zia needs to travel abroad due to ill health, any assistance required from the interim government will be provided."

Yunus's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam reinforced this position, saying, "The government has no restrictions or objections in this matter."

Despite these assurances, Rahman is not expected to return in the near future. In a recent Facebook post, he clarified that his return, even during this critical time, is hindered by circumstances that are "not in his control."

Rahman wrote, "In this critical time, I, like any child, have an intense desire to receive my mother's affectionate touch. However, like everyone else, the ability to realise this is neither unreservedly under my sole decision-making authority nor my exclusive control. The scope for elaborating on this sensitive matter is also limited. Our family is hopeful that my prolonged, anxious wait for repatriation will end as soon as this political reality reaches the desired level."

Rahman has emerged as a potential future Prime Minister who could lead Bangladesh if his party succeeds in the upcoming election. However, critics of the Yunus administration suggest that the government is reluctant to enable Rahman's return as it would energize the BNP supporters. The BNP functioned as the main opposition when the Awami League, under ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was in power.

Rahman has been living outside Bangladesh since 2008, when he left with his family following multiple legal cases against him that resulted in convictions. During Sheikh Hasina's government, he was convicted in several cases that were widely viewed as politically motivated prosecutions targeting the opposition BNP. Since then, he has resided in the United Kingdom while continuing to lead his party from abroad.

In 2018, Rahman received a life imprisonment sentence in absentia after a court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy and multiple murder charges related to a 2004 grenade attack.

More recently, in May this year, Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman were acquitted in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). In December of last year, Dhaka's High Court overturned the lower court's verdict and acquitted all defendants in the 2004 grenade attack case.