Tarique Rahman Returns After 17 Years; Posted His Feelings on Facebook
After travelling nearly 8,000 kilometers by air, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25—Christmas Day—ending an exile of more than one and a half decades. As his aircraft entered Bangladeshi airspace, he shared his second social media post at 9:34 am, writing: “In the skies of Bangladesh after 6,314 days!” He later arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:39 am via Sylhet Osmani International Airport, formally setting foot in Dhaka once again.
Tarique Rahman returned to the country aboard a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and their daughter, barrister Zaima Rahman.
At the airport’s VIP lounge, they were welcomed with flowers by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with members of the party’s Standing Committee. After completing formalities at the VIP lounge, Tarique Rahman was scheduled to travel in a bulletproof vehicle to a reception venue near the July 36 Expressway (the 300-foot road), where he is expected to address party leaders, activists, and the nation. From there, he is set to visit Evercare Hospital to see his ailing mother, former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, who is currently undergoing treatment.
Earlier in the day, at 5:15 am, Tarique Rahman shared his first post titled “Return,” attaching a photo of himself seated on the aircraft. By the time he touched Bangladeshi soil, the post had garnered around 536,000 reactions, nearly 85,000 comments, and about 34,000 shares. Four hours later, at 9:34 am, he posted another photo looking out at the sky from the plane, captioned: “In the skies of Bangladesh after 6,314 days!” By the time of his third post, netizens had reacted 528 times, commented nearly 90,000 times, and shared it around 55,000 times.
At 10:18 am, he shared a third post featuring a photo of his wife, writing: “Finally in Sylhet, on the soil of Bangladesh!” Before landing in Dhaka, the post received around 3,000 reactions and nearly 50,000 comments. Most comments expressed sentiments such as “Alhamdulillah,” “Congratulations,” and “Welcome,” while many well-wishers also offered advice. Some comments, however, included sharp criticism and politically charged remarks from certain accounts.
One widely shared post—circulated around 24,000 times—included a comment from an account named Sajid saying, “Our Sylhet’s brother-in-law, you came to Sylhet first.” Another user, Suman Sardar, wrote humorously, “Bogura’s chhola, we are extremely happy.” Shamima Akter commented poetically, “He has arrived like the new moon in the sky.”
DBTech/MUM/IK/OR
