NEW DELHI: When Tarique Rahman rose to address supporters after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s sweeping electoral victory, his tone was measured, almost reflective. Victory, he suggested, was not a triumph to be brandished but a responsibility to be borne.
“Our paths and opinions may differ,” he said, “but in the interest of the country, we must remain united.” In a nation long defined by fierce political rivalry, the incoming Prime Minister’s first message was one of cohesion. National unity, he insisted, would be the government’s collective strength; division, its undoing.
At 60, Rahman steps into office as both a familiar and contested figure, heir to one of Bangladesh’s most powerful political families and a survivor of years of exile, imprisonment and political isolation. His ascent marks the return of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to executive power with a commanding parliamentary majority, a mandate he acknowledged carries its own perils. Supermajorities, he warned, can breed arrogance and democratic backsliding. His party, he said, would remember that lesson from history.
Rahman’s life has unfolded in the long shadow of his parents. His father, Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler turned president, founded the BNP in 1978 after emerging as a leading figure in Bangladesh’s war of independence. He was assassinated in a failed coup in 1981, when Tarique was still a teenager. His mother, Khaleda Zia, went on to become the country’s first female prime minister, serving two terms and shaping an era of combative two-party politics.
If lineage opened doors, it also sharpened scrutiny and intensified his struggles. Rahman formally joined the BNP in 1988, cutting his political teeth during the anti-Ershad movement and campaigning nationwide ahead of the landmark 1991 election that restored parliamentary democracy. He advocated internal party elections by secret ballot, promoting democratic practice within local structures.
His elevation in 2002 to a senior party role drew immediate accusations of nepotism from opponents. Critics portrayed him as an enforcer of party discipline, a ‘hatchet man’ who wielded influence behind the scenes. Allegations of corruption followed, charges he consistently denied. Supporters argued he was a convenient scapegoat in a system where politics and prosecution were often intertwined.
The most turbulent chapter came in 2007, during a military-backed caretaker government. Rahman was arrested on corruption charges and spent 18 months in prison. He later alleged that he was tortured while in custody. Upon his release, he left for London, entering what would become a 17-year exile. Reports suggested he had pledged to withdraw from politics; instead, distance appeared to strengthen his resolve.
From abroad, Rahman remained a gravitational force within the BNP. After the incarceration of his mother amid a sweeping crackdown by the then-ruling Awami League under Sheikh Hasina, he helped steady a demoralised party. He promoted younger leaders, reorganised grassroots networks and sustained morale during years when BNP activists faced arrests and intimidation.
When a student-led anti-quota movement erupted, Rahman extended his support. Following Hasina’s fall, he backed the formation of an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. While pressing for a time-bound reform agenda and elections within 2025, he ultimately accepted the February timetable proposed by Yunus.
Now returned from exile to lead the government, Rahman frames his premiership around justice and institutional repair. “Justice will be our guiding principle,” he declared. “If the rule of law is not established, all our efforts will be in vain.” The law, he added pointedly, must apply equally to all citizens.
He has called on political rivals to cooperate in safeguarding democracy, on citizens to help combat corruption and uphold law and order, and on expatriate Bangladeshis to remain engaged.
For a man once defined by absence, Rahman’s presence now feels consequential. His journey, from political scion to prisoner, from exile to prime minister, mirrors the volatility of Bangladesh’s own democratic path. Whether his government can translate calls for unity and the rule of law into durable reform will determine his legacy.