Tarique Rahman likely to return home soon if Khaleda Zia’s condition remains unchanged
If the physical condition of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia remains unchanged, if she is not in a condition to be taken abroad, Tarique Rahman is likely to return to Bangladesh from the United Kingdom soon, party sources said.
A related source has said that two more teams of physicians from China and the United Kingdom will arrive in Dhaka today, Wednesday. They will also provide their assessment on whether Khaleda Zia can be taken abroad for advanced medical treatment. Tarique Rahman’s return to the country largely depends on this assessment by the specialist doctors.
Multiple party sources have confirmed that if circumstances emerge that allow Khaleda Zia to be taken abroad for advanced treatment, and if specialist physicians recommend it, that advice will be followed.
In that case, Singapore will be prioritised as the distance is reasonably short. If she is taken there, Tarique Rahman will travel to Singapore to remain by his mother’s side. But if circumstances do not permit taking Khaleda Zia abroad, Tarique Rahman will depart for Bangladesh very soon.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir indicated almost the same on Tuesday. He stated that Tarique Rahman will decide on his return to the country after observing whether the BNP chairperson is in a condition to be taken abroad. And if her physical condition remains unchanged, he will return home soon.
At around 6:00 in the evening on Tuesday, BNP’s verified Facebook page published a post quoting Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stating this information.
Earlier in the afternoon, Mirza Fakhrul had reiterated the same message at a prayer event held at a community centre in Naya Paltan seeking Khaleda Zia’s recovery.
Earlier this year, in January, Khaleda Zia travelled to London for advanced treatment. There, she was first admitted to hospital and later continued treatment while staying at the home of her son, Tarique Rahman. After nearly four months in London, she returned to Bangladesh on 6 May.
Tarique Rahman was arrested following the political changeover of the 1/11 events in 2007. In 2008, after being released from prison, he went to the United Kingdom with his family for medical treatment. He has been staying there ever since.
Following the student–public uprising on 5 August last year, which ousted the Awami League government from power, the verdicts in several cases against Tarique Rahman were annulled, while he was acquitted in others through legal processes.
Since then, discussions regarding his return to Bangladesh have gathered momentum. BNP leaders have been saying for several months that Tarique Rahman will return soon, though none has given a specific date.
Most recently, on Monday night, BNP standing committee member Salauddin Ahmed stated that the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, would return to the country soon.
He made this remark while responding to questions from journalists after the weekly meeting of the party’s standing committee. The meeting was held at the political office of the BNP chairperson in Gulshan, which Tarique Rahman chaired virtually from London.
As Khaleda Zia’s condition became critical, rumours circulated last Friday that Tarique Rahman was returning to Bangladesh imminently. Against this backdrop, he posted a status on his verified Facebook page from London on Saturday morning (Bangladesh time).
There he wrote, “Like any child, I too have an intense longing to receive my mother’s affectionate touch during such a crisis. But unlike others, my ability to take a unilateral decision in this regard is neither unrestricted nor entirely within my personal control.”
He further wrote, “There is limited scope to describe this sensitive matter in detail. Once the political realities reach the expected stage, the prolonged anxious anticipation of my return home will finally come to an end—our family remains hopeful.”
Since then, various government quarters have repeatedly stated that there is no obstacle to Tarique Rahman’s return to Bangladesh. On Monday, foreign affairs adviser Touhid Hossain said that if Tarique Rahman wishes to return, a “travel pass” would be issued to him within a day.
Around 1:00 pm yesterday (Bangladesh time), the foreign affairs adviser told journalists that, as of then, Tarique Rahman had not applied for a travel pass to return. He said, “If he wants it, it will be issued.”
When asked whether Tarique Rahman currently possesses a Bangladeshi passport, the adviser responded, “I cannot say whether he has a passport or not.”
Meanwhile, at a briefing in the Secretariat yesterday, when asked about Tarique Rahman’s security upon returning to Bangladesh, home affairs adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that no one in Bangladesh faces any security threats or concerns. The government is committed to ensuring the safety of everyone.