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Picture between 2021-24, Somewhere in London

Tarique Rahman

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Tarique Rahman began his political career as a primary member of the BNP in Gabtali Upazila, Bogura District in 1988. He supported the party during the 1991 national elections and later played a key role in coordinating election campaigns for his mother, Khaleda Zia. Rahman focused on strengthening the BNP at the grassroots level and refused higher positions to remain active in local development. He mobilized movements against the Awami League government from 1996-2001, contributing to the BNP’s landslide victory in 2001. Rahman was later implicated in the 21 August 2004 Dhaka grenade attack on an Awami League rally, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Bangladeshi court.

After his mother Khaleda Zia’s release on 11 September 2008, Tarique Rahman traveled to London for medical treatment. The interim government allowed him to leave after he agreed not to engage in politics. The Anti-Corruption Commission filed 12 cases against him and his business partner, Giasuddin Al Mamun, which the BNP claims are politically motivated. In 2009, the High Court and later the Supreme Court dealt with legal challenges related to these cases. Khaleda Zia alleged that the government was trying to prevent her son from returning to Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman was declared senior vice chairman of the BNP in December 2009. He participated in BNP activities from London, including calling for a boycott of the 2014 general election and conducting interviews for the party in 2018. Rahman registered a PR firm, White and Blue Consultants Limited, in 2015, and while there was controversy over his nationality, he denied holding British citizenship.

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On 7 June 2007, the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission filed a money laundering case against Rahman and his business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun. He was acquitted on 18 November 2013, but the acquittal was contested. On 21 July 2016, the High Court found him guilty, sentencing him to seven years in prison and a Tk 20 crore fine. This case was notable for including testimony from an FBI agent, though the FBI did not confirm this.

On 10 October 2018, Rahman was sentenced to life in prison for his alleged role as mastermind in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack. The accusation was denied by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

In 2015, Rahman was charged with sedition for remarks made in 2014 about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was acquitted of these charges in 2024.

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Tarique Rahman lives in suburban London with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, a physician and daughter of former Bangladesh Navy Chief, Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan. They married in 1993 and have one daughter, Zaima Rahman, a barrister. Zubaida Rahman was fired in 2014 for being absent from her government job for six years.
Tarique Rahman was born on 20 November 1967 in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). He comes from a notable Bengali Muslim political family from Bagbari, Gabtali, Bogra District, with Iranian ancestry through his great-grandmother Meherunnisa. His father, Ziaur Rahman, was the 7th President of Bangladesh, and his mother, Begum Khaleda Zia, was the 10th and first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He studied at BAF Shaheen College Dhaka, completed his SSC at Dhaka Residential Model College, earned his HSC from Adamjee Cantonment College, and was admitted to the University of Dhaka in 1984-85, initially in the Department of Law and later in the Department of International Relations.
Tarique Rahman (born 20 November 1965), also known as Tarique Zia, is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman who has been the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since February 2018. He is the eldest son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Tarique Rahman is seen as a powerful figure in the BNP and has held several high-profile positions, including senior joint secretary general. In 2018, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack. Tarique entered politics at a young age and gained prominence during his mother’s tenure as prime minister. After the BNP lost the 2008 general election to the Awami League, he went into self-imposed exile in London, citing safety concerns and persecution. Tarique remains a controversial figure, with accusations of corruption, nepotism, and theft.

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