Bangladesh opposition leader Tarique Rahman returns after 17 years in exile 

The heir to Bangladesh’s longtime ruling family and leader of the country’s powerful opposition, Tarique Rahman, has returned to the country after 17 years in exile, his party said.

Rahman, 60, an aspiring prime minister who has lived in London since he fled Bangladesh in 2008 over what he called a politically motivated persecution, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday.

Acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), he is expected to take the reins from his ailing mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

The BNP earlier said it aims to mobilise up to five million supporters in the capital to welcome Rahman.

BNP leaders said they were coordinating security arrangements with authorities for what they called an “unprecedented” mobilisation, with supporters expected to line the route from the airport to the reception venue on Thursday.

Rahman is widely viewed as the prime ministerial frontrunner in February’s general election.

His arrival comes as the BNP regains momentum – after the ouster of longtime leader Sheikh Hasina last year.

More to come…