Huge crowds gathered to cheer the return of Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in Bangladesh on December 25. His return ended a 17-year self-imposed exile when he moved to London in 2008 after he was tortured in custody under a military-backed caretaker government from 2006 to 2008. Rahman is the son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former PM Khaleda Zia. He met the party leaders who welcomed him at the airport. The 60-year-old is an aspiring Prime Minister in the upcoming February 2026 election.