BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said he will return to Bangladesh soon before the upcoming general election.
"Inshallah! I will return to the country very soon. Since I do politics, I am a political activist. A political party and a political activist are closely associated with election. So, how will I remain far away from the election when there will be polls expected by people. I will try my best, I will have the wish, I will have the interest about the expected election, which is being sought by people. I will be there among the people when that expected election will take place," Tarique said in an interview with BBC Bangla joining from London.
During his long interview with BBC Bangla, he spoke on elections, politics, and other issues.
"For some reasons maybe, my return has not happened yet. But I think the time has come. I will come back soon," he said in the interview which was his first in nearly two decades.
The BNP leader, who has been living in London for nearly 18 years, said as a politician and a worker of a political party, he has always been closely associated with elections.
"So, when an expected election for people 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 (UK), but in mind and heart, in every way, I have been in Bangladesh for the last 17 years," he said.
Asked why he had not spoken to the media for so long, Tarique replied, "Maybe it is not like that. Maybe the matter is a bit different. Actually, I have spoken. I have been living abroad for 17 years. But since I got the responsibility of the party, I have been speaking to my leaders, activists, and different groups of ordinary people in villages and towns."
"You surely know that during the time of the past fascist government, an order from the court stopped my right to speak. If I wanted to say something to the media, maybe the media wanted to publish it, but they could not," he said.
"I have spoken through social media and other ways. I have tried to reach people. So, it is not true that I did not speak to the media. I spoke, maybe you could not take my words then. Or you could not hear them. Even if you wanted to, you could not publish or broadcast them. But I spoke, I did not stay silent."
During the rule of Awami League government in 2015, the High Court banned broadcast, publication and dissemination of speeches and statements of Tarique Rahman. Then another HC bench ordered the government to immediately take steps to stop publishing his statements in print, electronic and social media as long as he remained a fugitive.
After the July 2024 uprising, the High Court has lifted the ban on publishing speeches and statements of Tarique Rahman across all media and online platforms on August 22 last year.
Tarique went to London with his family in September 2008 for medical treatment, after being granted bail during the military-backed caretaker government, popularly known as 1/11, which came to power on January 11, 2007. Tarique was arrested on March 7, 2007, and released on bail on September 3, 2008. He flew to London on September 11 that year with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.
During the last Awami League government, he was sentenced in five different cases in absentia, while around 100 cases were filed against him.
However, after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 last year, he was cleared of all charges through legal processes. Currently, there are no pending cases against him.
'NO INDIVIDUAL, MASTERMIND IS DEMOCRACY-LOVING PEOPLE'
When asked there are talks over his role in July mass uprising, and many also believe that he had an active role at that time, and even some leaders and workers of his party described him as the "only mastermind," Tarique said: "No. I have never seen myself as the mastermind behind the July mass uprising. The outcome of the mass uprising on August 5 (the day of the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government) which is also known to all as "July Movement" actually began many years ago. Leaders and workers of different democratic political parties of Bangladesh -- whether it is BNP or other political parties -- made contributions to the movement in various ways. Their leaders and workers became the victims of repression and torture in various ways."
"I think that people joined the movement with all democratic political parties in the months of July and August. Were only the leaders and workers of political parties took to the street on that day? No, certainly not."
"We had seen that madrasha students were there on the ground. We had seen that housewives came out and joined the movement along with their children. We had seen farmers, labourers, CNG drivers, small shop owners, shopkeepers and garment workers took to the street. We had seen that retired armed forces officials and employees joined the movement actively."
Even many of the journalists who were compelled to leave the country being tortured by the autocrat, also joined the movement. "So, I don't want to underestimate the contribution of any individual," he said. "I firmly believe that every individual of the society, irrespective their political affiliation, had a role in the July Movement."
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