Tarique Rahman’s Ascent from Base to Apex

A democratic country needs democratic leadership for peace, stability and sustainable development. Democracy indeed cannot function properly without leaders who practise democratic values in principle and action, given that the foundation of a democratic state system lies in the rule of the people, and a true democratic leader can make that system effective and sustainable. Without people-centred leadership, the democracy only becomes symbolic.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman is definitely a very good example of democratic political progression because of his political journey. Despite coming from a prominent political family – his father, martyred President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, founded BNP, and his mother, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, served as its chairperson – Tarique Rahman rose to the party’s top position gradually, following the provision of the party constitution.
He formally assumed the office as Chairman of the BNP following the death of Begum Khaleda Zia. The decision was unanimously approved on 9 January 2026 at a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee, the party’s highest policymaking body. According to article 7 (Ga), sub-clause 3 of the BNP charter, if the position of chairman falls vacant for any reason, the senior vice chairman shall assume the post for the remainder of the term and continue until a new chairman is elected. As per sub-clause 2, Tarique Rahman had been serving as acting chairman since 8 February 2018, following Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment. Khaleda Zia passed away on 30 December 2025 while undergoing medical treatment.
Tarique Rahman’s active political involvement dates back decades. In 1988, at the age of 22, he first joined as a member of the Gabtali Upazila unit of BNP in Bogura district. That same year, he founded the non-political Ziaur Rahman Foundation. He gained popularity during the 1991 election campaign when he accompanied Begum Khaleda Zia across the country.

Ahead of the 2001 election, Tarique Rahman set up an office in Dhaka to research local issues and engage with intellectuals and civil society representatives, contributing to the BNP’s landslide victory. Despite being the son of the party chief, he did not assume public office at that time and instead focused on strengthening the party organisation at the grassroots level. In 2002, he was appointed senior joint secretary general and later convened a nationwide grassroots forum, visiting upazilas across the country to engage directly with supporters. While living in exile in London, he was elected senior vice-chairman at the party’s Fifth National Council in 2009 and re-elected at the Sixth National Council in 2016. During the previous fascist regime, restrictions were imposed on publishing or broadcasting his speeches and statements. During that time, he was sentenced in five cases in absentia and faced nearly 100 cases. After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, he was acquitted through legal processes, and no cases remain pending against him. And finally, on 25 December in 2025, he returned home after nearly 18 years of exiled life in London, where he had been living with his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, since 2008.
Tarique Rahman’s life has been intertwined with the political history of Bangladesh. During the Liberation War, when his father declared independence and launched a resistance movement in March 1971, Tarique Rahman, his mother and his brother were arrested along with the family members and wives of other Bengali military officers, only to be released on 16 December 1971, when his father and his compatriots won Bangladesh’s victory. As a child, he experienced the turmoil of the war firsthand.
He was actively involved in political resistance against dictator HM Ershad. In 1986, on the eve of the Ershad government’s highly controversial lopsided election, he evaded house arrest and appeared at the Press Club to address a press conference where he narrated how security agencies tried to block their movement. As a result, he, along with his mother, was frequently kept under house arrest by General HM Ershad’s autocratic government. He took to the streets with his mother during the anti-Ershad movement and joined BNP as a general member in 1988. He mobilised people from the grassroots that contributed to the fall of HM Ershad’s autocratic government.
Before the 1991 election, he, along with his mother, campaigned across the country and came out victorious. In 1993 in the Bogura district, he organised a convention where leadership was elected through secret ballots.  Following the successful conference in Bogura, he encouraged similar democratic practices in other district and upazila units, promoting internal party democracy and accountability. To date, he is trying to ensure accountability of the leadership by holding direct exchanges of views with ordinary activists.
We know that democracy is a set of values and a culture of accountability, inclusion and respect for different opinions, and that for democracy to flourish, a leader has to strengthen institutions, ensure transparency, promote public participation and nurture national unity and social harmony. Along with safeguarding minority rights and respecting diverse viewpoints, he has to value expert advice and public opinion in policymaking, resulting in more sustainable, people-centric decisions.
In the present context, Bangladesh needs such a leader all the more. And Tarique Rahman has established himself as a leader committed to these democratic principles, which is evident in his proposed 31-point state reform framework, his public commitments to avoid vindictive politics and uphold national unity, and his pledge to take strict organisational action against party members involved in corruption, extortion or unlawful occupation. He further asserted that his government will be accountable to the people and no individual will be above the law. In short, Tarique Rahman is presenting himself as a leader who places more importance on reforming state institutions and restoring people’s voting rights than on personal power that has exposed his weakness to democracy.

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The writer is a Deputy Editor of Daily Sun