BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is set to arrive in Dhaka on December 25 at 11:55am, accompanied by his daughter, Zaima Rahman.
They will travel from London to Dhaka via Sylhet, according to Abdus Sattar, personal secretary to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Abdus Sattar said: “BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman will arrive in Dhaka with his daughter. He will travel on a regular commercial flight.”
Meanwhile, a BNP delegation has conducted an on-site inspection at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to ensure adequate security for Tarique Rahman’s arrival.
Party sources said Tarique Rahman will land in Dhaka on a scheduled Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at 11:55 am. BNP is preparing to accord him a reception upon his return. Suitable venues around the airport and the Evercare Hospital area are being considered, sources added.
Salahuddin Ahmed, a BNP Standing Committee member and convener of the reception committee, said: “The party is making all necessary preparations for Tarique Rahman’s return. Special emphasis is being placed on security, discipline, and crowd management.”
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and member secretary of the reception committee, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, said: “The arrangements for Tarique Rahman’s return will be historic. The public turnout will be memorable.”
Party leaders said the program will be implemented in coordination with law enforcement agencies and the relevant authorities to ensure the reception is held smoothly without causing public inconvenience.
Earlier, at a press conference on the night of December 12, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Tarique Rahman would return to Bangladesh on December 25, “if everything remains in order.”
Tarique Rahman was arrested on corruption charges during the military-backed caretaker government that took power in January 2007. After spending 18 months in prison, he was released on September 3, 2008, and left Dhaka for London with his family a week later, on September 11. He is set to return home after more than 17 years abroad.
