Tarique completes voter registration

Tarique Rahman completed voter-registration formalities Saturday, besides offering three commemorative services, including his only sibling who died in exile.

The Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) completed the process of becoming voter from Dhaka-17 constituency, ostensibly to stand in the post-uprising first election set for next February.

Mr Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in forced exile during which he saw his mother and ex-PM Khaleda Zia jailed and younger brother die abroad, first visited on the day the Nirbachan Bhaban-the headquarters of the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC)-- in the city's Agargaon area to submit his application and biometric data.

He was accompanied by BNP leaders and activists, including National Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, while EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was also present.

His daughter Zaima Rahman also presented her biometric data the same day.

Tarique Rahman went to the Election Training Institute (ETI) building behind the EC headquarters at around 1.00pm.

The EC provides services related to the National Identification or NID to expatriates and important people in a room on the ground floor of the ETI building.

EC officials took Mr Rahman's pictures, collected fingerprint data, iris and digital signature.

Army, RAB and Ansar members were deployed in and around the EC and ETI building since morning to mark the arrival of Tarique Rahman and his family members amid foolproof security. At the same time, police were deployed outside the Election Commission building.

Before arriving at the EC Mr Rahman paid homage to slain uprising activist Sharif Osman Bin Hadi and National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on the Dhaka University campus. And he offered an emotional requiem to his sibling Arafat Rahman Koko after the EC visit.

Talking to reporters, NID Wing Director-General (DG) ASM Humayun Kabir explained the procedures of becoming a voter.

He says after recording the biometric data from an applicant, they are uploaded onto the EC database. They are cross-matched with the voters' information in the data centre. Then a number is generated in software.

Regarding the duration that will be required for Tarique Rahman's voter listing to be finalised, the EC official said, "It is not possible to say specifically."

After Tarique Rahman left the EC, its Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed briefed the reporters. "Mr. Tarique Rahman, Acting Chairman BNP, and his daughter Zaima Rahman completed the registration process here today by submitting the voter- registration form," he said.

He said though Tarique Rahman completed the formalities to register his name on the voter list, it will take a day to be included in the list.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has already finalized the voter list for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections. However, the Voter List Act states that the EC can include the name of any person eligible to be a voter in the voter list at any time.

Bangladesh prepared its first voter list with a photograph in 2007-2008 when Tarique Rahman was imprisoned. Following his release in 2008, he went to London for treatment and kept staying there. Consequently, he did not get an NID.

However, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led "fascist" regime in 2024, his wife Zubaida Rahman came to the country and became a voter.

According to party officials though Mr Rahman is becoming a voter of Dhaka-17 constituency, he will run for parliament membership from his native-land Bogura.

BNP leaders on December 21 collected nomination papers in favour of Mr Rahman for the Bogura-6 (Sadar) constituency.

Tarique Rahman Saturday paid tributes to martyred activist Sharif Osman Hadi, National Poet Nazrul Islam and his (Tarique's) younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko by offering fateha at their graves in Dhaka.

As part of his itinerary for the third day after his homecoming from exile, Tarique Rahman arrived at the grave of Shaheed Osman Hadi, located beside the mausoleum of Kazi Nazrul Islam at Dhaka University, shortly before 11:30 am.

He first placed floral wreaths at Osman Hadi's grave and offered prayers.

He then laid flowers at the grave of Kazi Nazrul Islam and offered prayers there as well.

The prayers were led by Abu Bakar Siddique, the elder brother of Osman Hadi.

Among those present were BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, and other senior leaders.

Hadi was the spokesperson for Inquilab Moncho, whose killing has triggered nationwide protests and demands for justice.

Mr Rahman offered fateha and prayed for the departed soul, expressing solidarity with Hadi's family members and supporters.

Hadi succumbed to gunshot injuries, while undergoing treatment abroad, sparking demonstrations, sit-ins, and road blockades in different parts of Bangladesh.

Protesters have been demanding immediate arrest and punishment of those responsible for the killing.

BNP, Jamat, NCP, Inquilab Moncho, student groups, and civil-society members have been demanding proper justice which shows a widespread resonance of the incident.

Later at 1:50 pm, Tarique Rahman cruised through crowds to the Banani Graveyard, where he offered fateha at the grave of his younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko in an emotional requiem.

He also participated in a munajat, seeking eternal peace for Koko's departed soul.

This was the first time Tarique visited his brother's grave since returning home after years of exile.

Arafat Rahman Koko, a well-known sports organiser and the younger son of former president Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister and BNP chairman Begum Khaleda Zia, died of cardiac arrest in Malaysia on January 24, 2015, at the age of 45.

His body was flown back to Bangladesh and buried at Banani Graveyard on January 27 that year.

At the time of his death, Tarique Rahman was living in London and was unable to be present.

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