Tarique's income from shares and savings, Shafiqur's from agriculture

BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman earned Tk 676,000 in the 2025–26 tax year. His income mainly comes from fixed deposits held in banks and shares.

The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, Md. Shafiqur Rahman, earned Tk 360,000. His sources of income are agriculture and donations.

This information has been obtained by analysing the affidavits of the two top leaders of the BNP and Jamaat. They submitted these affidavits along with their nomination papers to the returning officers to contest the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election. The Election Commission (EC) has published the candidates’ affidavits on its website.

Since the 9th Jatiya Sangsad election in 2008, it has been mandatory for candidates to submit affidavits. At that time, candidates were required to provide eight categories of information, including age, profession, educational qualifications, income, assets, and criminal cases. This time, ten categories of information have been made mandatory. Newly added are the latest income tax details and a list of the professions of dependents. In addition, it is now compulsory to disclose details of assets held abroad under the assets section.

The requirement to submit and publicise affidavits was introduced with the idea that it would enable voters to know more about the candidates. Information such as candidates’ educational qualifications, income, and assets is expected to play a role in voters’ decisions when casting their ballots.

BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will contest the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election from the Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17 constituencies, for which he has submitted nomination papers. In the section on educational qualifications, he has stated that he has passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC). He has listed his profession as politics. His age is 57.
According to the affidavit, the total value of Tarique Rahman’s movable and immovable assets is approximately Tk 19.7 million. Of this, the total value of his movable assets, including cash and bank deposits, shares, gold and other precious metals, and furniture, is around Tk 19.3 million.

Among his movable assets, Tarique Rahman has just over Tk 3.158 million in cash and bank deposits. He holds shares worth Tk 6.85 million. He has fixed deposits (FDRs) in banks amounting to a little over Tk 9.024 million. His savings and other deposits total Tk 120,000. The value of his furniture is approximately Tk 180,000. The value of gold and other metals is stated as Tk 2,950 (at the time of acquisition).

On the other hand, his immovable assets include slightly more than two acres of non-agricultural land, with a value of Tk 345,000 at the time of acquisition. In addition, his affidavit notes 2.9 per cent of land received as a gift, the value of which is listed as unknown.

There are no loans in the name of Tarique Rahman or his dependants. In the 2025–26 tax year, he paid Tk 101,453 in income tax.

Tarique Rahman’s wife, Zubaida Rahman, is a medical doctor. Her income in the 2025–26 tax year was approximately Tk 3.561 million, and she paid about Tk 558,000 in income tax. In her income tax statement or return, she declared assets worth a little over Tk 10.53 million. Of this, approximately Tk 6.655 million is in cash and bank deposits, Tk 3.5 million is in fixed deposits (FDRs), and Tk 15,000 is in savings deposits. She has no immovable property.

There are currently no criminal cases against Tarique Rahman. In the affidavit’s section on cases, it is stated that a total of 77 cases filed against him since 2004 have been disposed of in stages. Some resulted in acquittal, some were withdrawn, some were dismissed, and in some he was discharged.

A large number of these cases were filed in 2004, 2007, 2014, and 2015. One case filed under the Emergency Powers Rules issued in March 2007 was disposed of on 16 April 2009 through dismissal and acquittal on the merits.

According to the affidavit, Tarique Rahman was acquitted in the highest number, 42 cases, during the tenure of the current interim government. In addition, he was acquitted in one case in 2014, three in 2015, eight in 2016, six in 2017, four in 2018, five in 2019, one in 2020, one in 2021, and five in 2022.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ameer Shafiqur Rahman will contest the election from the Dhaka-15 constituency (parts of Mirpur and Kafrul). He is 67 years old. In his affidavit, he stated that his educational qualification is an MBBS degree. His current profession is physician. His wife, Amena Begum, is a homemaker who was a member of a reserved seat in the Eighth Jatiya Sangsad.

Jamaat’s Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has immovable and movable assets worth around Tk 15 million. He has no loans in his name. In the 2025–26 tax year, he paid Tk 30,000 in income tax.

Among his movable assets, Shafiqur Rahman has approximately Tk 6.076 million in cash. He has deposits of about Tk 490,000 in banks and financial institutions. He holds bonds, debentures, and shares of companies listed and unlisted on the stock exchange worth approximately Tk 2.717 million.
Shafiqur Rahman has mentioned one vehicle, valued at Tk 450,000. He owns 10 bhori of gold jewellery, with an acquisition-time value of Tk 100,000. He has electronic items worth Tk 200,000 (value at the time of acquisition). He also has furniture worth Tk 240,000. Altogether, the total value of his movable assets is approximately Tk 10.274 million.

Among his immovable assets, Shafiqur Rahman owns 217 decimals of agricultural land, with an acquisition-time value of Tk 1.771 million. The acquisition-time value of 13 decimals of non-agricultural land is approximately Tk 255,000. The Jamaat Ameer also owns a duplex house on 11.77 decimals of land, which had an acquisition-time value of Tk 2.7 million. Altogether, the total value of the Jamaat Ameer’s immovable assets is Tk 4,725,834.

Shafiqur Rahman’s wife has no income and no assets. However, the Jamaat Ameer has provided information on the incomes and assets of his three children. It shows that one daughter has assets worth Tk 500,000, another daughter has assets worth Tk 1.775 million, and his son, Rafat Sadiq Saifullah, has immovable and movable assets worth Tk 30,000.
The Jamaat Ameer has mentioned information on 34 cases in his affidavit. Of these, two criminal cases are currently stayed by the High Court. In addition, details of 32 cases filed in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, and 2022 have been provided. Of these cases, 30 were filed in Dhaka and two in Sylhet.

Out of these 32 cases, Shafiqur Rahman was either discharged, or the cases were acquitted or withdrawn. Of these, in 2025, he was acquitted discharged in 10 cases, had 8 withdrawn, and was acquitted in 1 case. In 2024, he was discharged in 6 cases and acquitted in 5. In addition, he was acquitted in a case in Sylhet in 2017 and discharged in another case in 2021. The highest number of cases filed against him was in 2012, totaling 20.

During the July mass uprising, the Awami League government was removed from power, and in 2013, Jamaat’s registration was cancelled. As a result, Shafiqur Rahman contested the Dhaka-15 seat in the 11th parliamentary election in 2018 under the 'sheaf of paddy' symbol. He was defeated there, although that election became known as the “night vote.”
After the July mass uprising, Jamaat’s registration was restored along with its symbol. In the upcoming election, Jamaat candidates will vote under the 'scales' symbol.

There are allegations that in previous elections, especially during the tenure of the Awami League government removed in the July mass uprising, many candidates did not disclose the true details of their assets. The information in affidavits was also not verified. However, if false information is provided in an affidavit, the candidate’s nomination can be canceled, and even after being elected, the parliamentary membership can be annulled during the term.