Who is Tarique Rahman? All You Need to Know about Bangladesh’s Incoming PM

2026-02-13 - 14:46

DHAKA – Tarique Rahman spent nearly two decades watching Bangladesh from afar, a political heir in exile burdened by legacy, loss, and controversy. The son of two former PM, his life has been shaped by assassination, imprisonment, and relentless rivalry in one of South Asia’s most unforgiving political arenas. Now, after a dramatic uprising and a sweeping election victory, he returned home, not as a fugitive or strategist in the shadows, but as the man poised to lead the nation of over 175million. His journey from exile to power reads less like a campaign story and more like a political saga still unfolding. In a stunning political upheaval, Bangladesh’s centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has won a commanding majority in the general election, paving the way for Tarique Rahman to become the country’s new prime minister. This historic victory follows the 2024 uprising that toppled long-time leader Sheikh Hasina, signaling a dramatic shift in the nation’s political landscape. Tarique Rahman Rahman returned home from 17 years abroad to assume the country’s highest office. The heir to the powerful Zia family, he promises to champion national unity, expand social aid programs, and implement sweeping political reforms. Both of his parents previously served as prime ministers, cementing the Zia family’s decades-long influence over Bangladesh’s politics. Yet Rahman’s rise has been anything but smooth. As a teenager, he endured the assassination of his father, Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler turned president and BNP founder. Tarique’s political career has faced relentless scrutiny, with accusations of nepotism, corruption, and abuse of power dogging him at every turn. He became politically active in 2001 during his mother Khaleda Zia’s second premiership and rose to senior positions by 2002, drawing sharp criticism from rivals. Known as a formidable enforcer of party discipline, Rahman has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, with supporters insisting he was often a scapegoat in Bangladesh’s bitter political battles. In 2007, he was arrested on corruption charges by a military-backed caretaker government, claiming he was tortured while imprisoned for 18 months. After release, he left for London, vowing to stay away from politics, yet he continued to shape BNP strategy from abroad and served as acting chairman after his mother was jailed in 2018. During Sheikh Hasina’s rule, Rahman faced multiple trials, including in absentia convictions over a 2004 grenade attack, from which he was eventually cleared. His long-awaited return on 25 December 2025 came just days before his mother’s death. By 9 January 2026, he officially assumed leadership of the BNP, a move analysts had long considered inevitable. BNP secures landslide win in Bangladesh parliamentary elections