The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has completed preparations for the residence and office of its Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, ahead of his return to Bangladesh after 18 years in exile in London.According to party sources, Tarique Rahman will move into house number 196 on Gulshan Avenue. Adjacent to this residence, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia currently resides in a rented house named Firoza. In addition, a separate chamber has been prepared for Tarique Rahman at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. Another rented house in Gulshan has also been secured to coordinate all activities related to the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
These details were disclosed on Tuesday (December 16) during a press conference held at BNP’s newly established office located at House 10/3C, Road 90, Gulshan. At the press briefing, Mahadi Amin, adviser to the Acting Chairman, announced a national reel-making competition titled “Bangladesh in My Thoughts” to mark Tarique Rahman’s return.
Tarique Rahman is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on December 25, ending his 18-year exile in London. BNP has undertaken extensive preparations to welcome him. Party leaders and activists will be present at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to accord him a warm reception upon arrival.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “The people of the country have been waiting for our leader. On that day, leaders and activists from all levels of the party will stand in an orderly manner along both sides of the road to welcome our beloved leader. We are actively preparing for that.”
He added that a joint meeting of BNP and its affiliated organizations was held on Monday at the Chairperson’s Gulshan office, where detailed discussions took place on the reception arrangements for Tarique Rahman. The meeting was chaired by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir himself.
The residence designated for Tarique Rahman—house number 196 on Gulshan Avenue—has historical significance. Following the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman, the cabinet of then-President Justice Abdus Sattar unanimously decided to allocate the house to Ziaur Rahman’s wife, Begum Khaleda Zia, as both a residence and office.
A few months ago, the ownership documents of the house were formally handed over to the BNP Chairperson by Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan and RAJUK Chairman Riaz-ul-Islam Rizu.
Tarique Rahman will now take up residence in this house, where preparations are nearly complete. A visit to the site revealed that security booths have been installed in front of the residence, along with CCTV cameras along the adjacent road. Security personnel confirmed that these measures are being put in place in anticipation of Tarique Rahman’s stay.
Separate chambers have also been prepared for the Acting Chairman at both the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office and the party’s central office at Naya Paltan. While the central office already houses individual chambers for Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, an additional chamber has now been created specifically for Tarique Rahman.