BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that no date has yet been set for the return of the party's Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, from London.
“We haven’t fixed a specific date yet, but he will return when we believe it is the right time,” Fakhrul said. He made the remarks while responding to a journalist's question at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office.
Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and its Chairperson Khaleda Zia, has been living in exile in London with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, for over one and a half decades.
On September 11, 2008, just eight days after being released from jail on bail, Tarique left for London to seek medical treatment during the military-backed caretaker government. He had been arrested on March 7, 2007, and was released on bail on September 3, 2008.
On Thursday, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique Rahman and others in a bribery case related to securing immunity in a murder case, making him legally free to return to Bangladesh, according to BNP lawyer Borhan Uddin.
In an interview with BBC Bangla, Borhan confirmed that, with all legal cases now cleared, Tarique Rahman faces no legal obstacles to returning to Bangladesh and resuming political activities.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who went to London on January 8 this year for advanced medical treatment, has been staying with her son.
While there are reports that Khaleda Zia may return home next month, BNP leaders suggest that Tarique Rahman’s return remains uncertain due to security concerns.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
