After hours of slow movement through a sea of people and unprecedented security arrangements, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman finally reached the rally stage on Thursday afternoon, marking one of the most watched political homecomings in recent memory.
Tarique Rahman’s motorcade entered the July 36 Expressway at around 2:00 pm, advancing at a crawling pace amid tight security provided by joint forces.
He was travelling in a red-and-green bus, symbolic of the national colours, waving continuously to party leaders and thousands of supporters lining both sides of the road.
Many had been waiting since the past night for a glimpse of their leader.
Earlier in the day, the Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying Tarique Rahman, his wife and daughter landed at Sylhet Osmani International Airport at 9:57 am, before proceeding to Dhaka.
The aircraft touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:40 am, formally ending his 17-year exile.
At the airport, Tarique Rahman was greeted by his mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, who welcomed him with a garland.
Following a brief family reunion, he exchanged greetings with senior BNP leaders present at the airport before heading towards the capital.
Soon after, he boarded the specially prepared bus, and the motorcade began its slow journey amid heavy crowds and layered security. Joint forces remained on high alert throughout the route, with the procession moving inch by inch as supporters surged forward to catch a glimpse of the returning leader.
As the bus advanced, Tarique Rahman was seen repeatedly waving to party leaders and activists gathered in front of and alongside the vehicle, acknowledging chants and gestures from the crowd despite the long, exhausting journey.
Tarique Rahman left the country during the political turmoil surrounding the One-Eleven period, a moment that reshaped Bangladesh’s political landscape.
In the years that followed, the nation’s politics underwent sweeping changes, while his absence stretched into nearly two decades.
Moments after re-entering Bangladesh’s airspace, Tarique Rahman shared an emotional message on social media, writing: “After a long 6,314 days in the skies of Bangladesh!” – a line that quickly resonated among supporters and circulated widely online.
By the time he reached the rally venue, the day had already etched itself into contemporary political memory – not merely as a return, but as a carefully choreographed procession through emotion, expectation and an overwhelming public presence.