BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to receive BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who is returning home with his wife and daughter after nearly 18 years of exile.
Fakhrul entered the airport’s VIP lounge with senior leaders, including members of the party’s Standing Committee, at around 10am on Thursday.
Standing Committee members Salahuddin Ahmed, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Abdul Moyeen Khan, along with BNP Media Cell Convener Moudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, were present at the airport.
A Bangladesh Biman Airlines flight carrying Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman landed at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet at 9:58am.
After around one hour of ground turnaround in Sylhet, the aircraft departed for Dhaka at 10:55am.
Tarique left London’s Heathrow Airport for Dhaka with his family at 6:36pm local time on Wednesday, which was 12:36am Bangladesh time on Thursday.
According to airline sources, he travelled on flight BG-202 operated by a Boeing Dreamliner 787-900 on the London Heathrow–Sylhet–Dhaka route.
Special coordination and security arrangements were ensured for the flight due to the presence of high-profile passengers, and Tarique Rahman was allocated seat A1.
The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:45am after completing the final leg of the journey.
BNP sources said that Tarique Rahman was accompanied on the flight by his personal secretary Abdur Rahman Sani, BNP Press Wing member Saleh Shibli, Ziaur Rahman Foundation representative Kamal Uddin, Syed Moinuddin Ahmed and Tabassum Farhana.
To mark Tarique Rahman’s return, BNP has organised a mass reception at the July Expressway (300 Feet area) in Purbachal.
A large stage measuring 48 feet by 36 feet has been built with bamboo and wood on the north side of the road near Kuril Mor, facing south.
After landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the BNP acting chairman will be welcomed with flowers at the VIP lounge by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other Standing Committee members.
He will then proceed to the reception venue at the July Expressway, where he is expected to thank party leaders and activists and deliver a brief address to the nation.
Following the reception, he will visit BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital. From there, he will travel via Airport Road and Kakoli Mor to his residence in Gulshan-2.
Tarique Rahman was arrested on corruption charges and remained in jail for around 18 months after the military-backed caretaker government assumed power in January 2007.
After his release, he left for London with his family for medical treatment on September 11, 2008.
Following the Awami League’s return to power in the December election on that year, multiple cases prevented his return to Bangladesh. After years of legal battles and prolonged exile, Tarique Rahman has finally returned to his motherland, bringing an end to a long wait.
