Tarique Rahman

Tarique Rahman (born November 20, 1965, Dacca, East Pakistan [now Dhaka, Bangladesh]) is a Bangladeshi politician who serves as the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and prime minister of Bangladesh (2026– ). He is the eldest son of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Their family is one of two dominant political dynasties in Bangladesh, the other being the family of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Sheikh Hasina Wazed, of the Awami League. After spending 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December 2025 and led the BNP to a decisive victory in the 2026 general election, the first held after the 2024 student-led uprising that ended Hasina’s tenure and brought an interim caretaker government to power.

Early life and education

Rahman was born on November 20, 1965, in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). He grew up during Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, which achieved success in 1971. In the years following independence, Bangladesh experienced political instability, including constitutional changes, military interventions, and a series of coups.

After independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—a cofounder of the Awami League and father of Sheikh Hasina—led the country. Following Mujib’s assassination in 1975, a succession of military-dominated governments took power. By 1977 Ziaur Rahman, Tarique’s father, had emerged as the country’s president. During this period, the political rivalry between the families of Ziaur Rahman and Mujibur Rahman began to shape Bangladeshi politics.

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Rahman attended primary and secondary school in Dhaka. In 1981 his father, who was then serving as president, was assassinated in a failed military coup.

In 1985 he enrolled at the University of Dhaka, first studying law, then international relations. He did not complete his degree, and he left school to start a business in the textile and export industry.

Early political career and legal cases

Rahman formally entered politics through a local branch of the BNP in 1988. The BNP led the government from 1991 through 1996, with Khaleda Zia, Rahman’s mother, serving as prime minister. In 1994 Rahman married Zubaida Rahman, a physician from another prominent political family.

The BNP lost power to the Awami League in 1996 but returned to government from 2001 to 2006. During this period Rahman became increasingly influential within the party and was appointed senior joint secretary general of the BNP.

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In August 2004, while the BNP was in power, a grenade attack targeted an Awami League rally in Dhaka, killing at least 24 people and injuring hundreds more, including Sheikh Hasina, who has permanent hearing loss as a result of the incident. In January 2007, following political unrest and disputes over the election administration at the end of the BNP’s term, a military-backed caretaker government assumed power under a state of emergency. During this period Rahman was arrested on corruption charges. He was later convicted in multiple corruption cases and, in 2018, in connection with the 2004 grenade attack. He was tortured in prison, which caused permanent spinal damage.

In 2008 he was released on bail and traveled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. That same year, Sheikh Hasina Wazed returned to power following an election in which she won a landslide victory, and a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable described Rahman as a “symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics” and alleged that he had frequently demanded bribes.

Exile in the United Kingdom

Rahman remained in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2025. During this period he continued to direct BNP activities from abroad, becoming senior vice chair in 2009 and acting chair in 2018. He also registered a private consulting company in the United Kingdom.

Following the 2024 student-led protests that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government, an interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus took office and announced plans for new elections. Following the change of administration, Rahman’s major convictions were progressively overturned by the courts of Bangladesh, including those related to the 2004 grenade attack and several corruption cases. Rahman met with Yunus in London in 2025, and he returned to Bangladesh in December of that year in preparation for the 2026 general election.

Premiership (2026– )

Rahman was sworn in as prime minister on February 17, 2026, after the BNP won a two-thirds majority in parliament. The election was widely described as the country’s first free and fair election in years. With a constitutional supermajority, the BNP announced plans to revise aspects of the country’s governance structure and constitution.