Tarique Rahman
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Tarique Rahman is a Bangladeshi politician who is the current acting chairman of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
(BNP) since February 2018. He has been residing in London with his family since he left Bangladesh in September 2008.


Early life and family

Rahman was born on 20 November 1965 in
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. He belongs to a notable
Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
political family of
Mandals A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
hailing from Bagbari in Gabtali,
Bogra District Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...
. His paternal family also have
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian ancestry via his great-grandmother Meherunnisa, whose forefathers arrived in
Ghoraghat Ghoraghat ( bn, ঘোড়াঘাট) is an upazila of Dinajpur District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. History Ghoraghat was established in the time of Bakhtlar Khilji (see Blochmanu's Contr., J.A.S,1873, p. 215, Tabaqat-i-Na ...
during the Mughal period. His father,
Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d' ...
, was the 7th
President of Bangladesh The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...
, and his mother,
Begum Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
, was the 10th
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh.


Education

He studied at
BAF Shaheen College Dhaka BAF Shaheen College Dhaka ( bn, বিএএফ শাহীন কলেজ ঢাকা) is a co-education Bangladeshi college (grades KG-XII) established and controlled by the Bangladesh Air Force. History The school was established on 1 ...
and completed his SSC from Dhaka Residential Model College. He then earned his HSC from
Adamjee Cantonment College Adamjee Cantonment Public School and College ( bn, আদমজী ক্যান্টনমেন্ট পাব্লিক স্কুল এন্ড কলেজ) is an Junior college, intermediate college in Dhaka Cantonment, Dhaka, Ban ...


Political career

Rahman started his political career as a primary member of the BNP
Gabtali Upazila Gabtali ( bn, গাবতলী, Gabtoli) is an upazila of the Bogra District, located in Bangladesh's Rajshahi Division. It is named after its administrative centre, the town of Gabtali and is best known as the home upazila of Ziaur Rahman, the l ...
,
Bogura District Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...
in 1988. Rahman actively assembled support for the party during the national elections of 1991, when the transition was taking place from the autocratic ruling to the democratic government.


Joining politics

Rahman was a member of the BNP's National Campaign Strategy Committee, and was also responsible for coordinating the election campaigns in five constituencies from which his mother Khaleda Zia was contesting."The Political Thought of Tarique Rahman"


Major contribution in politics

During that period, he proactively organized the BNP units of Bogura and changed the inherent cultures to make politics more production and development oriented. After the BNP's success in the national elections of 1991 and the formation of the new government, Rahman was offered a senior role in the party as recognition of his contributions. However, he was reluctant to take up a higher position in order to have enough time to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. For many years, he remained active in developing the Bogura units of the BNP. During the national elections of 1996, the party grassroots and the senior leadership requested Rahman to contest a constituency from Bogura. But he declined the offer with a view to furthering his work at the grassroots levels and coordinating the election campaigns for his mother. During the ruling of the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
government in 1996–2001, Rahman mobilized movements against the actions of the government. He actively campaigned to address issues of economic deprivation and started championing a countrywide consultation program aimed at publicizing the plight of the people living in rural areas. This large-scale program, the first in the history of Bangladesh of this nature, drove mass mobilization against the government, which in turn, played an instrumental role in fostering the return of the BNP to power. He established the
secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
system in Bogura to elect leaders through open council. In the national elections held in 2001, the party won a landslide victory with a two-thirds majority.


Forced exile

Tarique Rahman, is the prime convict to be the mastermind of 21 August 2004 terrorist grenade attack on a public rally organized by the then-opposition party
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
. The attack using military grade Arges grenade targeted the entire top leadership of Awami League including current prime minister
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...
and killed 24 Awami league leaders and workers including Ivy Rahman, President of Women Awami League and wife of late President Zillur Rahman. The attack also injured hundreds of victims and many became permanently crippled. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Bangladesh Court.


Exile and asylum

Following the release of Rahman's mother Khaleda Zia on 11 September 2008, he flew to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, United Kingdom for medical treatment at Wellington hospital, an independent private hospital in St. John's Wood. The 1/11 interim government backed by the army confirmed that Rahman gave written bond of not to indulge in any future politics and was allowed to go abroad. The Anti corruption Commission filed 12 cases against Rahman and his friend and business partner,
Giasuddin Al Mamun Giasuddin Al Mamun is a Bangladeshi businessman. He is a friend and business partner of the politician Tarique Rahman. Mamun has been in jail since 2007 due to his convictions on numerous corruption cases. He has been sentenced to 20 years impris ...
, which BNP claims is politically motivated and cases are being filed as part of the conspiracy of the immediate past
caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
to prevent Rahman from participating in Bangladesh politics. On 16 October 2009 the High Court issued a rule asking the government and the
Anti Corruption Commission Bangladesh The Anti Corruption Commission ( bn, দুর্নীতি দমন কমিশন) ''often abbreviated:'' ACC ( bn, দুদক) is the principal government agency against corruption in Bangladesh. History The Anti Corruption Commissio ...
to explain why the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against Khaleda Zia and Rahman should not be quashed on a petition filed by Zia. On 9 November 2017, the Bangladesh Supreme Court dismissed Khaleda and Rahman's petition seeking stay on trial proceedings on the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The lower court now has no legal bar to continue the corruption case against them. Khaleda Zia said her son would take part in active politics upon his return from abroad after completing treatment. She addressed a few public meetings on her way to Bogura and alleged that the present government is trying to harass her son so that he cannot return to the country. She said, "Tareque worked for the development of the country, but a lot of cases were filed only to destroy him as a part of national as well as international conspiracies" She also added, "On March 7, 2007, he was picked up in a car right in front of me. But after the custody my son had to be sent abroad in a stretcher for treatment... Doctors have said his recovery will take more time..." On 8 December 2009 in The 5th National Council of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Rahman was declared as the senior vice chairman of BNP. On 25 July 2013, Rahman was invited to an iftar party in London arranged by the expatriate supporters of the party. In September 2013, some representatives from the Government of United States met Rahman and discussed some bilateral issues. On 4 January 2014, in a video message posted on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, Rahman called for a
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of the next day's
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
in Bangladesh. In November 2018, Rahman conducted the interview process through
Skype Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
for the nomination seekers of BNP party at the
2018 Bangladeshi general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018 to elect 300 directly-elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a landslide victory for the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina. According to political scientist Ali Riaz, ...
.


Cases and convictions


Money laundering case

On 7 June 2007, a money laundering case was submitted against Rahman and his friend and business partner
Giasuddin Al Mamun Giasuddin Al Mamun is a Bangladeshi businessman. He is a friend and business partner of the politician Tarique Rahman. Mamun has been in jail since 2007 due to his convictions on numerous corruption cases. He has been sentenced to 20 years impris ...
by the
Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission The Anti Corruption Commission ( bn, দুর্নীতি দমন কমিশন) ''often abbreviated:'' ACC ( bn, দুদক) is the principal government agency against corruption in Bangladesh. History The Anti Corruption Commissio ...
at a court in Dhaka. In a verdict given on 18 November 2013 by the court, Rahman was acquitted in the case involving BDT 20.41 crore. The Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission member Mohammad Shahabuddin rejected the verdict, saying: "''Tarique and Mamun had equal footing in the crime. So, legally there was no scope to differentiate.''" BNP officials and leaders claimed that this judgement is a proof of his innocence and he had no involvement with corruption, and that all the cases against Rahman were "politically motivated". On 21 July 2016, Rahman was found guilty by the Bangladesh High Court overturning a lower court verdict that acquitted him earlier. He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and fined Tk 20 crore by the Court. One interesting thing to note in this case here is right after delivering the controversial not-guilty verdict, the lower court judge fled the country. Rahman's money laundering case was the first case in the country's history where an FBI agent testified and produced evidence against a defendant in Bangladeshi court. However, FBI has never confirmed this claim by the news paper Daily Star of Bangladesh. On 3 November 2008, a leaked
US Embassy The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...
cable said that the embassy in Dhaka believed Rahman was "''guilty of egregious political corruption that has had a serious adverse effect on US national interests'".


2004 Dhaka grenade attack case

On 10 October 2018, Rahman was sentenced to life in prison for the case of 2004 Dhaka grenade attack. He was accused to be the mastermind of the attack by
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
General Secretary
Obaidul Quader {{Infobox officeholder , name = Obaidul Quader , native_name = ওবায়দুল কাদের , native_name_lang = Bn , image = Obaidul Quader MP (cropped).jpg , caption = , pri ...
. However, the accusation was denied by BNP Secretary General
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (born 26 January 1948) is a Bangladeshi politician. He has been the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 2016. He was a member of the parliament for Thakurgaon-1 constituency from 2001 t ...
.


Personal life

Rahman currently lives in suburban
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. He married to Zubaida Rahman, a physician and the youngest daughter of
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
Mahbub Ali Khan Mahbub Ali Khan ( bn, মাহবুব আলী খান; 3 November 1934 – 6 August 1984) was a Bangladesh Navy rear admiral and the Chief of Naval Staff from 1979 till his death in 1984. He is known for his heroic actions done for hi ...
, former Chief of Naval Staff of
Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী, Bangladesh Nou Bahini) is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area, and the defence of imp ...
, in 1993 and the first cousin of
Irene Khan Irene Zubaida Khan ( bn, আইরিন জোবায়দা খান; born 24 December 1956) is a Bangladeshi lawyer appointed as of August 2020 to be the United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion, the fir ...
, a former Secretary General of
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
. Their only daughter Zaima Rahman is a barrister. Zubaida became a government physician in 1995 after passing the Bangladesh Civil Service Exam and fired by the Awami League government in September 2014 for being absent from work for six years.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Tarique 1965 births Living people Dhaka Residential Model College alumni Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians Children of national leaders Ziaur Rahman Bangladeshi politicians convicted of crimes Bangladeshi people of Middle Eastern descent People from Bogra District Majumder–Zia family