BNP senior leader Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Thursday said Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh “very soon” to lead what he described as the final phase of the struggle to restore democracy.

I have said this before, and I repeat now — Inshallah, within a few weeks, you will see Tarique Rahman return. He will not be coming back merely to oversee BNP’s electoral process, but to lead the final stage of the struggle to restore democracy,” Dr Zahid told reporters after paying tribute to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at his grave.

Tarique Rahman, who has been living in exile in London with his family since 2008 following the 1/11 political changeover, has remained a central figure in guiding the party from abroad. Dr Zahid said BNP leaders and activists nationwide are already carrying out organisational activities at his call, going door to door and reaching out to voters with the party’s 31-point programme. “They are fully engaged in this task, and there is vibrant activity going on,” he said.

Alongside preparing for Tarique’s return, Dr Zahid said BNP is gearing up for the upcoming national election. He informed that the party will soon finalise nominations, giving priority to candidates who are popular among people and fare well in internal surveys. “BNP is a large party and the number of nomination seekers is 10 times more than that of available seats,” he noted.

He stressed that BNP will rely on inputs from local and district-level leaders, as well as survey findings, to decide who will receive nominations. 

More importantly, those who are most popular in their respective areas and loved by the people will be nominated by BNP. InshAllah, you will see that the BNP top leadership will very soon make a final decision regarding its nominations based on these factors,” he said.

Dr Zahid dismissed speculation about certain candidates already receiving a green signal. “No one has yet been given either a green or red signal. Some news has been circulated on social media and in certain newspapers, but our Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has already said that the party has not yet nominated anyone. The announcement will be made at the appropriate time,” he clarified.

The BNP leader reaffirmed the party’s commitment to its 31-point programme for state reforms aimed at building a democratic Bangladesh. “The BNP has always been vocal in defending people’s rights, and it will continue to be so,” he said.

Marking World Pharmacists Day, Dr Zahid, accompanied by leaders and activists of the Diploma Pharmacist Association of Bangladesh, placed floral wreaths at the grave of Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

He also urged citizens to remain vigilant against the “plots and evil activities of the defeated fascist forces and their associates,” adding that BNP is fully prepared to counter any local or international conspiracies against the country while moving towards the polls.

In response to a question about the reported harassment of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and leaders of two other political parties by Awami League followers in New York, Dr Zahid said, “The history of the Awami League and its leaders has never been on the side of the people. They believe in the politics of vengeance and in ruling over the people by force. They treat this country as if it were their ancestral property… Their forefathers committed injustices, and they continue to do the same. But one thing must be remembered — in the end, the people know how to resist them and reject them.”