Tarique arrives at the Election Commission’s NID wing for voter registration

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman arrived at the Election Commission’s National Identity (NID) Wing in Agargaon on Saturday to complete his National Identity Card registration and enlist as a voter.

He reached the NID Wing office at the Electoral Training Institute around 1:00 pm, where he was scheduled to provide biometric information and submit the required documents as part of the registration process.

Earlier, his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman arrived at the same office at about 12:26 pm. After completing the necessary formalities, they left the premises around 12:45 pm, before Tarique’s arrival.

According to BNP sources, Tarique, Zubaida and Zaima had already completed the online voter registration process. They are expected to be registered as voters in the Dhaka-17 constituency under DNCC Ward No. 19 in the Gulshan area, using the address of House No. 196, Gulshan-2.

Earlier in the day, Tarique paid tribute to Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, by offering fateha at his grave. Hadi died a week after being shot on December 12.

Accompanied by senior BNP leaders, Tarique placed a wreath at Hadi’s grave around 11:30 am, honouring the July uprising activist. He later offered fateha and joined a munajat for the salvation of Hadi’s soul, led by Abu Bakar Siddique, Hadi’s elder brother.

Tarique and his party colleagues also paid respects at the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University Central Mosque, where they offered fateha and joined another munajat.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, among others, were present during the programmes.

To ensure security, members of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in the Shahbagh and Dhaka University areas.

Tarique left his residence on Gulshan Avenue around 10:40 am in a white bulletproof SUV and reached the Dhaka University campus at about 11:15 am under tight security.

Following his visit to the Election Commission, Tarique is scheduled to go to Mahbub Bhaban in Dhanmondi, his father-in-law’s residence, and later to Evercare Hospital to visit his ailing mother.

He had earlier planned to visit the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), popularly known as Pangu Hospital, to meet those injured in the July 2024 mass uprising. However, the programme was later cancelled.

In a Facebook post on Saturday morning, BNP’s Media Cell said the visit was called off as there are currently no injured victims of the July mass uprising undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Sharif Osman Hadi, a leader of Inqilab Moncho and a prospective candidate for Dhaka-8, was shot in the head on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw on Culvert Road in Puratan Paltan, a day after the Election Commission announced February 12 as the date of the next national election.

Hadi was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18. He was laid to rest beside the grave of Kazi Nazrul Islam on December 20.

Aged 32, Hadi was a prominent figure of the July 2024 uprising and served as the spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho.

Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Thursday morning after nearly 17 years abroad. His homecoming has generated widespread attention and strong emotions among BNP leaders, activists and supporters, with party leaders describing the return as historic.