By Admin 
Tariq Rahman: In a major development in Bangladesh politics, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Begum Khaleda Zia’s son Tariq Rahman has returned home after a long gap of nearly 17 years. After the return of Tariq Rehman, tremendous enthusiasm is being seen among BNP supporters and it is being seen as a decisive turning point in the country’s politics.
Tariq Rahman’s return to his country has come at a time when Bangladesh is going through a period of serious political instability. Violent movements are going on in different parts of the country, while fundamentalist forces like Jamaat-e-Islami are expanding their influence.
Why is Tariq Rehman’s return important for India?
Tariq Rehman’s return has special significance for Delhi. Awami League, which is considered Pro India, is banned from contesting elections and Khaleda Zia is admitted in the hospital. At such a time, Bangladesh is standing at a crossroads, where during the tenure of interim government head Mohammad Yunus, radical Islamic elements are active and anti-India rhetoric has increased. The biggest concern for India is about Jamaat-e-Islami, which is considered a supporter of Pakistan’s ISI. Jamaat, which was banned during the Sheikh Hasina government, has again made a place in politics after the change of power last year.
Electoral equation and increasing power of Jamaat
According to recent opinion polls, BNP is likely to win the most seats in the elections, but its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami is giving it a tough competition. India’s concern has also increased because the student wing of Jamaat has registered an unexpected victory in the student union elections of Dhaka University.
Why is this a positive sign for India?
India views the BNP as a relatively liberal and democratic alternative, even though relations between the two have historically been strained. New Delhi hopes that the return of Tariq Rehman will bring new energy to the party workers and BNP can form the next government. During Sheikh Hasina’s rule, Bangladesh maintained close relations with India and maintained a balanced distance from China and Pakistan. During the Yunus government, closeness with Pakistan has increased and distance with India has been seen. India hopes that there will be a change in its foreign policy if BNP comes to power. On December 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly expressed concern about Khaleda Zia’s health and offered India’s support. The BNP expressed gratitude in response, which was seen as a rare positive gesture amid years of strained relations.
Distance from Yunus government and Jamaat
Tariq Rehman has expressed differences with the Yunus government and raised questions on the long-term foreign policy decisions of the interim government. He has criticized Jamaat-e-Islami and refused alliance with it in the elections. Earlier this year, London-based Tariq Rahman had called for a ‘Bangladesh First’ foreign policy, inspired by former US President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ slogan. He had said, ‘Neither Delhi, nor Pindi, Bangladesh first’, from which it is clear that BNP will adopt the policy of getting closer to neither Rawalpindi nor Delhi.
Tariq Rehman’s homecoming
Tariq Rahman’s arrival in Dhaka was grand. It was claimed that about 50 lakh BNP workers participated in the road show taken out from the airport to his residence. Tariq Rehman is likely to contest from Bogura 6 (Sadar) seat, while party chief Khaleda Zia will contest from her stronghold Bogura 7 (Gabatali Shajahanpur). According to sources, fundamentalist elements are not happy with this show of strength and there is a possibility of a clash between BNP and Jamaat before the elections. The government had made the highest level security arrangements on Thursday. According to local media, around 3 lakh supporters reached the capital on 10 special trains, which the BNP described as a ‘historic crowd’.
Who is Tariq Rehman
Tariq Rehman is the son of former President Ziaur Rehman and has been living in London since 2008. During the Sheikh Hasina regime, he was convicted in several cases, which the BNP described as a political conspiracy. In 2007, he was arrested in a corruption case and there were allegations of serious health problems and torture during detention. In 2008, he got bail and was allowed to go to London for treatment, since then he has been living there.
He was also sentenced in absentia in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack case. 24 people were killed in this attack, while Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped. In a 2008 Dhaka Tribune series of reports exposing corruption during the BNP regime of 2001–06, he was described as the ‘Dark Prince’. However, in the last one year, the courts have acquitted him in all major cases.