Tarique Rahman’s return is undeniably historic. But history alone does not guarantee success. The comparison with 1972 is not about personalities -- it is about the structural burden placed on returning leaders in moments of national uncertainty.
That Bangladesh did not turn into a hardcore right-wing country is because of Tarique. The country continues to progress as a centrist, tolerant nation. For this, we should forever remain indebted to him.
Tarique returns to Bangladesh as the indispensable man of Bangladeshi politics, the fulcrum of its democratic transition, the lynchpin of its liberal politics, and the prime minister in waiting.
He will be judged relentlessly -- by the standards set by his parents, both as leaders and as human beings. This is not merely the end of a prolonged absence abroad; it marks the closure of a painful chapter shaped more by political banishment than personal choice.
If Tarique wishes to be prime minister and lead this nation, as his mother and father did before him, then a time comes when he needs to step up and stand up, and show the nation that he too is made of the stuff of leaders. This is such a time.
The real question is not why Tarique Rahman has not returned yet. The real question is whether the nation will stay focused on restoring democracy rather than chasing distractions.
Neither Tarique Rahman nor Sajeeb Wazed Joy can claim moral leadership without embracing financial transparency. They owe the public answers not because they are accused men, but because they are influential men. They owe the public honesty because they seek to shape the future of Bangladesh.
November 20, 2025 was Tarique Rahman's 60th birthday. With elections around the corner, and the country on the cusp of transformative change, here is a well-wisher's wish-list of what he would like to see from the BNP and its leader after the February polls.
Without proper planning, scientific implementation, public engagement, and addressing the root causes of deforestation, the pledge to plant 250 million trees will not succeed
His BBC interview does not announce a new manifesto; it announces a new temperament. It marks the return not merely of a politician but of a political tone long missing in Bangladesh -- calm, composed, and confident in the people’s intelligence
His prolonged stay in the UK is now the defining issue for the country’s opposition politics. His potential return could reshape public perception, reinvigorate the BNP, and alter the national political equilibrium.
