Will Participate In Election, Tarique Rahman Tells BBC Bangla

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has confirmed that he will participate in the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.

He made the announcement in an interview with BBC Bangla — his first in nearly two decades — where he discussed politics, the upcoming polls, and related issues.

“I will do my best. I have the desire and interest that when the much-anticipated election — the election the people want — takes place, I will be there with them, among them,” he said.

“For some understandable reasons, my return has not happened yet. But I believe the time has come. I will return soon,” he added.

The BNP leader, who has lived in London for nearly 18 years, said that as a politician and a member of a political party, he has always remained closely engaged with the electoral process.

“So, when a people’s election finally takes place, how can I stay away from it?” he asked.

Tarique, 58, said his absence from Bangladesh was only physical. “Physically, I may be in this country (the UK), but in mind and heart — in every way — I have been in Bangladesh for the past 17 years,” he said.

When asked why he had not spoken to the media for so long, Tarique explained, “Maybe it’s not quite like that. The matter is a bit different. Actually, I have spoken. I have been living abroad for 17 years. But since taking on the party’s responsibilities, I have been in constant communication with leaders, activists, and ordinary people across villages and towns.”

“You surely know that during the previous fascist regime, a court order restricted my right to speak. Even if I wanted to say something to the media — and even if the media wanted to publish it — they couldn’t,” he said.