Tarique to return on Dec 25 after 18 years in exile

Acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman would return to Bangladesh on 25 December, ending nearly 18 years of exile, said BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday night.

"It is with great joy that I inform you that our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman - the most beloved leader of millions, who has been in exile for almost 18 years and has led the democratic movement for more than a decade - will arrive in Dhaka on 25 December," he said.

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office, Fakhrul expressed hope that Tarique's return would help remove obstacles on the path to democracy, reports UNB.

"We believe that once our Acting Chairman returns home, the barriers placed before the democratic transition will begin to disappear," he added.

The BNP will hold a welcome event on his return on the day, said Mirza Fakhrul.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday night started holding an emergency meeting on the latest political situation in the country, the ongoing election process, and important national issues including the party's organizational activities at the Gulshan Chairperson's office.

Members of the National Standing Committee were present at the meeting chaired by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

The meeting was expected to discuss the issue of Sharif Osman Hadi, an independent candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha.