- Rahman's return encourages BNP supporters ahead of the February elections.
- Rahman was acquitted of corruption charges following Hasina's ouster.
- Attacks on the media and violence raise fears in favor of a peaceful vote.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting president Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, a homecoming the party hopes will energize its supporters as Rahman is set to be the frontrunner for prime minister in the Feb. 12 election.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from the capital's airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying banners, banners and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders welcomed him at the Dhaka airport under tight security.
Rahman, 60, son of the ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and has led the BNP as interim president since 2018.
Dressed in a light gray fine-checked jacket over a crisp white shirt, Rahman greeted the crowd with a friendly smile.
He had not been able to return because he was facing multiple criminal cases in his country. Rahman was convicted in absentia on charges including money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, but the rulings were overturned after Hasina was ousted last year in a student-led uprising, removing legal barriers to her return.
Her return home also carries a personal urgency, as Khaleda Zia has been seriously ill for months. Party officials said Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception venue before visiting his mother.
The political landscape has changed dramatically since Hasina's removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda Zia largely alternated in office. A December poll by the US-based International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on track to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami also in the race.
Hasina's Awami League party, which has been excluded from the election, has threatened riots that it fears could disrupt the vote.
Bangladesh heads to the polls under an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. While authorities have promised free and peaceful elections, recent attacks on the media and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman's return a defining moment for the BNP and the country's fragile political transition.
