Tarique Rahman's return: His 3-day schedule

After a long 17 years, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is returning to the country at around 12 noon tomorrow, Thursday.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has shared details of the programmes Tarique Rahman will take part in during his first three days after returning home.

Salahuddin Ahmed announced Tarique Rahman’s three-day programme at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s political office in Gulshan in Dhaka today, Wednesday afternoon.

The BNP leader said that after landing at the airport tomorrow afternoon, senior party leaders will welcome Tarique Rahman. He will then proceed to the reception venue on the July Expressway, also known as the 300 Feet Road.

There, he will thank and express gratitude to the waiting leaders and activists and deliver a speech addressed to the nation.

After that, Tarique Rahman will go to Evercare Hospital to visit his mother, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. From there, he will return to his residence in Gulshan-2 via Airport Road and Kakoli intersection, and there will be no other programmes that day, Salahuddin Ahmed added.

Salahuddin Ahmed said that on the following day, Friday, 26 December, after the Jumma prayers, Tarique Rahman will first visit the grave of Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.

From there, he will go to the National Martyrs’ Monument in Savar to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War.

On Saturday, 27 December, there will also be two programmes. On that day, he will complete his national identity card-related procedures.

Whether Tarique Rahman will personally go to the Election Commission office in Agargaon in the capital for this purpose will be informed later. He will complete all procedures to become a voter that day.

He will then go to the Dhaka University campus to visit the grave of martyred Osman Hadi, Salahuddin Ahmed added.

After that, Tarique Rahman will go from there to the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Shyamoli to visit those injured in the July mass uprising who are undergoing treatment.

After that, there will be another programme, the details of which will be announced later, Salahuddin Ahmed said.

Brigadier General (retd) AKM Shamsul Islam, the chief security officer for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, told journalists that the government is voluntarily providing maximum cooperation to ensure Tarique Rahman’s security.

Replying to a query from journalists at the press conference at the Gulshan office, Shamsul Islam said, “The party will fully utilise its own security arrangements. A small part of that is the Chairperson Security Force. Then there are our party leaders and activists, and above all, the general people of Bangladesh are the main foundation of our security.”

Shamsul Islam said, “The government has instructed its various forces and agencies to provide us with all kinds of assistance. We have developed deep and close coordination with them, and by integrating all government organisations and our party strength, we hope to create a security system much stronger than what we believe currently exists.”