Matribhumi Samachar English
Tarique Rahman, the leader of Bangladesh National Party (BNP) has returned to Dhaka after spending 17 years in exile. He is prescribed as the Prime Minister in waiting as the BNP political party is anticipated to emerge victorious in the Bangladesh national elections scheduled for February 2026. With the Awami League, the political party of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina barred from contesting the elections, BNP by default is the single largest party of the country and is expected to form the government. Thus, Tarique Rahman is the anticipated Prime Minister post the period of massive chaos & instability marked by political violence, vandalism, economic crisis and most importantly spiking religious polarization with radical Islamist groups inhumanly targeting the Hindu minorities under the interim government led by its Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
Will Tarique Rahman revolutionize a solution to the problems of Bangladesh and script a new chapter in the country’s growth trajectory or will his rule pushes back the country to his earlier days of governance which was earmarked with massive corruption, invisible hands controlling the administration, nurturing terrorists and their illicit networks etc? Most importantly, what will be the strategic challenges encountered by India if Tarique Rahman returns to the helm of the political power structure of Dhaka? Well, the political history of Tarique Rahman raises serious apprehensions.
Tarique Rahman: The real power centre during the reign of BNP
Hawa Bhaban was the symbol of muscle power and terror during the rule of Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami from 2001 to 2006. This was the political office of Tarique Rahman during the rule of BNP when he acted as the chairperson of the party, which was apparently the real centre of power where every decision was espoused. Tarique Rahman is the son of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia. During her Prime Ministerialship she operated from Ganabhaban. However, the government was really run and controlled from the Hawa Bhaban under the leadership of Tarique Rahman.
Diplomats, journalists and even the insiders of the BNP assert that Hawa Bhaban is the place “where real decisions were taken”, by degrading the rules, laws and other constitutionally approved institutions. It is said that the files moved faster in Hawa Bhaban than in the Prime Minister’s office. Businessmen, Ministers and other politicians would queue in Hawa Bhaban to meet and seek approval. Thus, the BNP leader Tarique Rahman and his Hawa Bhaban was the nerve centre of power in the earlier BNP era. The history hence raises serious doubts regarding the upcoming regime of the BNP with respect to transparency in governance and security of Bangladesh as Tarique Rahman himself is set to be the Prime Minister.
The corruptive roots rendered the codename ‘The Dark Prince’
It was the United States of America which named Tarique Rahman as the ‘Dark Prince’. In 2005, then US Charge d’Affaires Judith A. Chammas characterized Tarique Rahman as the Dark Prince owing to his massive atrocities and corruptive practices. His political cunningness, illegal businesses, smuggling practices and the amount of toxic cash generated inside the Hawa Bhaban gave him the name ‘the dark prince’. Another US Ambassador James F. Moriarty called Tarique Rahman as a symbol of ‘kleptocratic government and violent politics in Bangladesh’. He demanded insane bribes for every government contract, appointments and even to render legal reliefs to the common people.
Transparency International, consecutively for 5 times ranked Bangladesh as the most corruptive country in the world during the rule of BNP which was silently controlled by Tarique Rahman. The World Bank is said to have cancelled funding for three big developmental projects citing massive corruption in the Bangladesh government. Chinese firm Harbin reportedly paid $750,000 to secure an 80MW power plant contract. Tarique was accused of accepting Tk 2.1 crore to influence a murder case involving a powerful industrialist’s son. Funds from the Zia Orphanage Trust were allegedly syphoned off for land purchases and election campaigns and the list of massive corruptive practices continues indefinitely. Hawa Bhaban under Tarique Rahman is also said to have sold the portfolios for the ministerial aspirants. PM Khaleda Zia has been protecting her corruptive son from facing public backlash or government scrutiny. This dark prince infamous for his atrocities has returned to Bangladesh under the interim government and is aspiring to be the Prime Minister.
The terror networks trumpeted by Tarique Rahman
Tarique Rahman is also said to have strong links with the most notorious terror organisations. Under the BNP rule and the iron fist of Tarique Rahman the terror outfits enjoyed political shelter and protection. The senior officials of Bangladesh assert that Tarique Rahman has strong links with terror outfits such as Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). A single phone call from the Hawa Bhaban led to the release of the terrorists from prisons.
During the early years of 2000 decade, Hawa Bhaban was said to be the biggest epicentre of south Asia’s most notorious arms smuggling network. It is also said that in 2004, this Hawa Bhaban aided the channelizing of massive arms to the separatist groups of India such as ULFA. Tarique Rahman is also alleged of indulging in the 2004 Chittagong arms haul case where 10 truckloads of arms and munitions were found which was reportedly transported to the terror networks working against India.
An attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina?
Tarique Rahman is also accused of plotting a plan to launch a grenade attack on the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. Mufti Abdul Hannan, the chief of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh(HuJI-B) terrorist group admitted in the court that he attended a meeting in Hawa Bhaban where Tarique Rahman instructed the ministers to provide complete support for terror operations, including the 2004 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina.
Why did Tarique Rahman go into exile?
Tarique Rahman, literally controlled every nerve and vein of Bangladesh politics. However, when Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government came to power in 2009, the notorious network of Hawa Bhaban was completely dismantled. A total of 84 cases were registered against Tarique Rahman and was imprisoned. In 2008, under parole conditions, Tarique Rahman went into exile to London. He was strictly barred from participating in any political activity pertaining to Bangladesh.
After 17 years in exile and secretly conducting the political activities of the BNP from London, Tarique Rahman has returned to Bangladesh with the aspiration of becoming the Prime Minister. When the Sheikh Hasina regime was ousted in August 2024 and the interim government took control of the country’s administration the court quashed all the convictions against Tarique Rahman, thus catalysing his return to the country and building ladders to occupy the helm of Dhaka.
Is Bangladesh under Tarique Rahman a strategic challenge to India?
Given the history of Tarique Rahman under the previous era of the BNP, strategic challenges for India are said to spike. The Delhi-Dhaka relations is hitherto disrupted to a massive scale. The minority Hindu community is facing a severe existential threat in Bangladesh. The Nexus between Pakistan and Bangladesh is embroiling like never before. The return of Tarique Rahman will be a solution to all the challenges emanating from Dhaka and encountered by New Delhi, is a doubtful scenario. His corruptive practices, habit of rendering safe-haven to terrorists, indulging in arms and ammunition smuggling will indeed pose a major security and strategic challenge to New Delhi.
The reports claim that under the previous rule of BNP minority persecution was at a large scale in Bangladesh. The Hindu minority community have faced severe targeted attacks. The BNP-Jamaat coalition indulged in 18,000 violent incidents in the year 2001 post the elections, as per the reports. Thus, the radical Islamists are expected to gain more freedom, political support, unaccountability and safe-haven under the Tarique Rahman regime, which is a major threat to the minority Hindu community who are suffering lately due to the inhuman and heinous crimes.
The BNP under Tarique Rahman, if returned to power thus has all probability to raise the security and strategic challenges for India from dwindling minority safety and rights to harbouring terrorists and other anti-India elements in the borders.
