Bangladesh leader considered top PM candidate returns from exile

Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returned from nearly 17 years in exile on Thursday, a homecoming the party hopes will energise supporters with Rahman poised to be the top contender for prime minister in February.



Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from Dhaka's airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the airport under tight security.



Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018.



Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman exited the airport, removed his shoes to step barefoot onto Bangladeshi soil, and picked up a handful of earth in a symbolic gesture marking his return to the South Asian nation.



He was seen standing beside the driver's seat in a bus taking ‌him to the reception venue, smiling and waving as crowds surged to catch a glimpse of their returning leader.



He had been unable to return while facing multiple criminal cases at home.