By Admin 
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting president Tariq Rahman on Thursday (December 25, 2025) appealed to the people to maintain peace. Presenting the vision of an inclusive society, he said that the country belongs to people of all religions, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.
Rehman said this while addressing party supporters for the first time after 17 years. Since the formation of the interim government in August last year, there have been many incidents against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. Rahman told thousands of supporters after arriving on July 36 Expressway directly from Dhaka airport, ‘Now is the time for all of us to build the country together. This country belongs to the people of hills and plains, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. We want to create a safe Bangladesh, where every woman, man and child can go out of their home safely and come back safely.
The Hindu population in Bangladesh has faced several violent incidents after the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power in August last year. Recently, a 25-year-old Hindu laborer was beaten to death by a mob in Mymensingh city. India has expressed concern over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. On Monday, minority groups protested in Dhaka and accused the interim government of failing to stop persecution of minorities. Earlier, Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after living in self-exile for more than 17 years, where he was given a warm welcome.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other party leaders welcomed Rahman at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport in Dhaka amid tight security. Rehman was also accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rehman and daughter Jaima Rehman. Rehman was living in London since 2008. He has been effectively leading the BNP since 2018 after the ill health of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. BNP has emerged as a major contender to gain power in the elections to be held in February, as former Prime Minister Hasina’s party Awami League has been banned from taking part in the elections.
Jamaat-e-Islami, which was an ally of the BNP during its tenure from 2001 to 2006, is now considered its main rival, as the interim government has banned the Awami League from contesting elections through an executive order under the country’s stringent anti-terrorism law.
Rehman’s return has come at a time when unrest has spread in the country after the assassination of prominent youth leader Sharif Usman Hadi, which has engulfed the entire Bangladesh. Hadi played an important role in ousting Hasina from power. Rahman, a leading contender to become the country’s next Prime Minister, symbolically marked his return to the country’s politics by standing barefoot on Bangladeshi soil soon after arriving at Shahjalal Airport.
Hours later, Rehman, 60, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, addressed his supporters and called for maintaining peace and stability in the country and presented a comprehensive plan to create an ‘inclusive Bangladesh’. Referring to American civil rights activist Martin Luther King’s famous quote ‘I have a dream’, Rahman said, ‘I have a plan for my countrymen and my country.’ Rahman said that he wants to create an inclusive Bangladesh, where people of every caste, creed and religion can live in a peaceful environment.
When the BNP had announced Rahman’s plan to return from London, Rahman had said, ‘Just as a child wants to be near his seriously ill mother in her time of distress, I want to return to Bangladesh.’ Rahman’s return to Dhaka has come at a time when Bangladesh-India relations are deteriorating rapidly. However, he did not make any direct mention of India in his address.
The BNP leader left the airport in a bulletproof bus. Before leaving the airport, Rehman thanked interim government head Muhammad Yunus in a phone conversation. Yunus had supported the arrangements made for their security and the organization of programs related to their return home.
In a video message shared by BNP, Rehman was seen saying, ‘On behalf of myself and my family, I express my gratitude to you. In particular, I express my gratitude for the steps taken for my safety. Rahman also mentioned the establishment of Bangladesh in 1971.
Referring to the fall of the Hasina-led government last year, he said, ‘Just as in 1971, people from all sections of society came together to protect the independence and sovereignty of this country, similarly in 2024 too people united and ousted the Sheikh Hasina government from power.’ About 4,000 soldiers, paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, policemen equipped with riot control equipment and plainclothes policemen were deployed in Dhaka to ensure Rehman’s security.
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