Tarique Rahman
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Tarique Rahman, known natively as Tarique Zia, a prominent Bangladeshi politician, has been the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, since February 2018. He is the eldest son of former Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman and the nation's first female Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia.
Born in 1965, Rahman's political journey began at a young age, gaining significant influence within the BNP during his mother's premiership in the early 2000s. Following the Awami League's decisive victory in the 2008 general election, he sought self-imposed exile in London, citing safety concerns and alleged persecution by authorities. During the Sheikh Hasina administration, he faced multiple convictions for charges including corruption, bribery, money laundering, illegal wealth acquisition, and involvement in grenade attacks. A total of 84 cases were filed against him after 2007, which the BNP maintains are politically motivated fabrications. In 2024, after the fall of the Awami League government, he was acquitted of all charges, his sentences were quashed, and he returned to Bangladesh on December 25, 2025.
Rahman is often recognized as the de facto leader of the opposition in Bangladesh. His political career has been marked by considerable controversy, including numerous accusations of corruption, bribery, and money laundering, as well as his association with the Hawa Bhaban, which was alleged to have operated as a parallel center of power.
Born on November 20, 1965, in Dacca, East Pakistan, now Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tarique hailed from a distinguished Bengali Muslim political family. His father, Ziaur Rahman, was a decorated Pakistani military officer who later became President of Bangladesh. His mother, Khaleda Zia, would go on to serve as Prime Minister.
His early education included stints at BAF Shaheen School and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School, followed by his SSC at Dhaka Residential Model College and HSC at Adamjee Cantonment College. He pursued higher education at the University of Dhaka, studying Law and later International Relations.
Rahman entered politics as a primary member of the BNP in Bogra in 1988, actively organizing party units and advocating for a more production and development-oriented political culture. He played a crucial role in coordinating national election campaigns, particularly for his mother, Khaleda Zia, during the pivotal 1991 transition from military to elected government.
Despite being offered a senior party position after the BNP's 1991 election success, he opted to focus on strengthening the party at the grassroots level. He remained deeply involved in developing the Bogra units of the BNP and declined opportunities to contest elections in 1996, preferring to coordinate campaigns and work at the grassroots. During the Awami League's rule from 1996 to 2001, Tarique mobilized movements against government actions and championed nationwide consultations on rural economic issues. The BNP secured a landslide victory in the 2001 general election.
During the BNP's 2001-2006 tenure, the devastating 2004 Dhaka grenade attack occurred at an Awami League rally, targeting top leaders and resulting in 24 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Tarique was named the prime suspect and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Bangladeshi court. In 2024, he was acquitted after the trial proceedings were deemed "illegal."
Following his mother Khaleda Zia's release on September 11, 2008, Tarique traveled to London for medical treatment. The caretaker government, backed by the army, permitted his departure abroad based on a written assurance that he would not engage in future politics.
On December 8, 2009, Tarique was elected Senior Vice Chairman of the BNP. In a recorded speech broadcast to the party's 5th National Council, he detailed his arrest and alleged torture, claiming a "conspiracy" to eliminate him through judicial means. He cited his ongoing treatment as requiring more time. Khaleda Zia stated her son would return to active politics after completing his treatment, alleging the government sought to prevent his return through fabricated cases and conspiracies.
In a January 2014 video message, Tarique called for a boycott of the upcoming national election. In 2015, he registered a private firm in the UK, initially listing his nationality as British, later amending it to Bangladeshi. This discrepancy led to claims of British citizenship, which he denied, issuing a legal notice to the accuser.
In November 2018, Rahman conducted interviews for BNP nomination seekers via Skype for the 2018 general election. Following Sheikh Hasina's departure, Tarique pledged to return to Bangladesh once the cases against him were lifted and to support the interim government's reform process. On June 13, 2025, he held a private meeting with the chief adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, in the UK, a meeting described as a "turning point" by BNP sources.
On December 25, 2025, Tarique Rahman, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman, returned to Bangladesh, ending his 17-year exile.
Tarique Rahman became the subject of numerous controversies during the third Khaleda Zia government. Allegations of corruption, bribery, and money laundering, widely reported both domestically and internationally, were consistently dismissed by the BNP as politically motivated. The Dhaka courts have since cleared him of all charges following the July Revolution.
The Hawa Bhaban controversy stands as a significant and contentious scandal, with allegations centering on bribery and money laundering through the Hawa Bhaban. Tarique Rahman and other senior BNP leaders were accused of accepting bribes from businessmen and political rivals and laundering the funds abroad. The Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh launched an investigation in 2007, with parallel inquiries by the FBI in the United States and courts in Singapore. Investigations in 2007 and 2010 alleged evidence of extensive business dealings and international money laundering, with reports suggesting approximately $20 million was laundered abroad. On March 20, 2025, he was acquitted in this case.
A money laundering case was filed against Rahman and his business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun on June 7, 2007. In a November 18, 2013 verdict, Rahman was acquitted of charges involving BDT 20.41 crore. The trial judge's subsequent departure fueled speculation of an alleged deal, a verdict rejected by the Anti-Corruption Commission member Mohammed Shahabuddin, who stated, "Tarique and Mamun had equal footing in the crime. So, legally there was no scope to differentiate." BNP officials maintained the acquittal proved his innocence and the politically motivated nature of the cases. However, on July 21, 2016, the Bangladesh High Court overturned the lower court's acquittal, finding Rahman guilty and sentencing him to seven years imprisonment with a Tk 20 crore fine. The High Court noted, "Corruption practices and political influence are enabling individuals or groups to commit financial crimes like money laundering. It is time to stop such crimes under the political umbrella for the welfare and development of the country." Mamun's extensive business dealings, linked to Rahman's political influence, led to further scrutiny. On December 5, 2024, Tarique and Giasuddin Al Mamun were acquitted by the High Court of Bangladesh.
The ACC filed a case in 2007 against Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, and Zubaida's mother, Syeda Iqbal Banu, alleging illegal assets exceeding 48 million taka beyond their declared income. A chargesheet was filed against the three, though the trial against Syeda Iqbal Banu was later dismissed. A Dhaka court sentenced Tarique Rahman to nine years in prison and a Tk 30 million fine, and Zubaida Rahman to three years in prison and a Tk 3.5 million fine, ordering the confiscation of Tarique's illegal assets. In October 2024, the interim government suspended Zubaida Rahman's sentence for one year. On May 28, 2025, Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman were acquitted of all charges.
The Zia Charitable Trust corruption case, filed in 2008, alleged misuse of foreign grant money for personal purposes instead of the trust's work. Former Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman were accused of embezzling funds. The trial began in 2011, and on February 8, 2018, a special court sentenced Khaleda Zia to 5 years and Tarique Rahman and others to 10 years. The High Court later doubled Khaleda Zia's sentence. Tarique Rahman, in exile, did not appear in court, and the verdict was delivered in his absence, causing a significant political stir. On January 15, 2025, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, along with all accused, were acquitted in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
Regarding the August 21, 2004, Dhaka grenade attack, which killed 24 and injured hundreds, Tarique Rahman was not initially named as an accused. However, a reinvestigation in 2007 and a further investigation by the Awami League government in 2009 brought his name forward. In 2011, he was formally charged as the main conspirator. The trial began in 2012, and on October 10, 2018, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Tarique Rahman to life imprisonment as the main conspirator, a verdict delivered in his absence. The BNP denied any link to the attack. On December 1, 2024, Tarique, Lutfozzaman Babar, and 47 others were acquitted by the High Court, which recommended a new investigation into the case.
The 10-truck arms and ammunition haul case, initiated on April 28, 2004, involved the seizure of a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Tarique Rahman was allegedly involved, with claims that the arms were intended for use in gunfights during the BNP government and for smuggling to banned Indian armed groups. The BNP considered the case politically motivated. On December 18, 2024, the High Court acquitted four individuals, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar.
In 2014, Tarique Rahman made controversial remarks about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in London, referring to him as a "Razakar" and "Pakbandhu." These comments triggered protests and sedition cases. On March 10, 2025, the Jessore District and Sessions Judge's Court acquitted Rahman in a sedition case filed in 2014. On August 21, 2024, the Noakhali Additional District and Sessions Judge Court acquitted him of sedition charges. A case filed by Tejgaon Police Station in 2015 alleged that Tarique Rahman was involved in publishing false information threatening national sovereignty and spreading hatred against the government. On October 31, 2024, the High Court scrapped this case.
Tarique Rahman married Zubaida Rahman on February 3, 1994. She is a physician and the youngest daughter of Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan. Zubaida Rahman became a government physician in 1995 but was dismissed in September 2014 for extended absence from work. Their daughter, Zaima Rahman, is a barrister.
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Tarique Rahman (born 20 November 1965), better known natively as Tarique Zia, is a Bangladeshi politician who has been the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since February 2018. He is the eldest son of former Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman and the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia.
Born in 1965, Rahman got involved in politics from a young age and rose to prominence in the BNP during his mother's tenure as prime minister in the early 2000s. After the Awami League's landslide victory in the 2008 general election, he went into self-imposed exile in London, citing concerns for his safety and claiming that he was being persecuted by the authorities. He was convicted by the courts during the Sheikh Hasina government on multiple charges, including corruption, bribery, money laundering, illegal acquisition of wealth, and grenade attacks. A total of 84 cases were filed against him after 2007. BNP claims that these are politically motivated false charges. Later in 2024, after the fall of the Awami League government, the court acquitted him of all charges, and his sentence was quashed. He returned to Bangladesh on 25 December 2025.
Rahman is often described as the de facto leader of the opposition in Bangladesh. He has drawn significant controversy in national politics, facing a myriad of accusations of corruption, bribery, and money-laundering charges and being linked to several notable controversies, including the use of Hawa Bhaban as a parallel power centre.
== Early life and education ==
Tarique was born on 20 November 1965 in Dacca, East Pakistan, modern-day Dhaka, Bangladesh. He belonged to a notable Bengali Muslim political family of Mandals hailing from Bagbari in Gabtali, Bogra. His father, Ziaur Rahman, was a Pakistani military officer who would later become a Bir Uttom recipient and the president of Bangladesh, and his mother, Khaleda Zia, was a homemaker who would later become the prime minister of Bangladesh.
In his early childhood, he studied at BAF Shaheen School and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School. He completed his SSC at Dhaka Residential Model College. He then earned his HSC from Adamjee Cantonment College. In 1984–85, he was admitted to the University of Dhaka, first in the Department of Law and later in the Department of International Relations.
== Early political career ==
Rahman started his political career as a primary member of the upazila branch of the BNP Gabtali, Bogra, in 1988. During that period, he proactively organized the party units of Bogra and changed the inherent cultures to make politics more production and development oriented.
Rahman was a member of the BNP's National Campaign Strategy Committee and was also responsible for coordinating the national election campaigns in five constituencies in which his mother, Khaleda Zia, was running. Rahman actively assembled support for the party during the 1991 national election, when the transition was taking place from military government to the elected government.
After the BNP's success in the 1991 election and the formation of the new government, Tarique was offered a senior role in the party as recognition of his contributions. However, he was reluctant to take up a higher position, preferring to have enough time to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. For many years, he remained active in developing the Bogra units of the BNP. During the 1996 national election, the party grassroots and the senior leadership requested Rahman to contest a constituency from Bogra, 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 rule of the Awami League from 1996 to 2001, Tarique 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. In the 2001 national election, the BNP won a landslide victory with a two-thirds majority.
During the BNP's tenure between 2001 and 2006, the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack occurred, which targeted a public rally organized by the then-opposition party Awami League. The attack targeted the entire top leadership of the Awami League, including the leader of the opposition, Sheikh Hasina, and killed 24 Awami League leaders and workers, including Ivy Rahman, the president of Mohila Awami League and the wife of former Bangladeshi president Zillur Rahman. The attack also injured hundreds of Awami League members. Tarique was the prime suspect in the incident, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Bangladesh court. In 2024, Tarique was acquitted after the whole trial's proceedings were judged to be "illegal".
== Exile to London (2008–2025) ==
Following the release of Tarique's mother Khaleda on 11 September 2008, he flew to London for medical treatment at Wellington hospital, an independent private hospital in St. John's Wood. The 1/11 caretaker government, backed by the army, confirmed that Tarique had given a written promise to not indulge in any future politics and was thus allowed to go abroad.
=== Senior Vice Chairman of the BNP ===
On 8 December 2009, Tarique was elected as the Senior Vice Chairman of the BNP at its 5th National Council held in Dhaka. A recorded speech by him was broadcast to the public at the council. In the speech, he described his arrest and torture during his detention by the 1/11 government that came to power in January 2007. He claimed that a "conspiracy" was hatched to kill him through torture under the "guise of a judicial system". Tarique described his physical condition and said that he needed more time to complete his treatment.
Khaleda 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 Bogra and alleged that the then-present government was trying to harass her son so that he could not 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... 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 4 January 2014, in a video message posted on YouTube, Tarique called for a boycott of the next day's national election in Bangladesh.
In 2015, Tarique registered a private firm by the name of White and Blue Consultants Limited, which is a PR and communications firm. The documentation of incorporation filed with the UK Companies House shows that Tarique listed his nationality as British. However, in 2016, he amended the paperwork and listed his nationality as Bangladeshi. However, this error has been used by many as evidence to support claims of state officials, including Md. Shahriar Alam that he acquired British citizenship. Tarique Rahman denied this claim and served a legal notice to Md. Shahriar Alam demanding an apology for his remarks about him allegedly having British citizenship.
=== Interim Chairman of the BNP (2018–present) ===
In November 2018, Rahman conducted the interview process through Skype for the nomination seekers of BNP at the 2018 national election.
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina, Tarique pledged to return to Bangladesh after the cases against him were lifted. He also pledged to support the reform process of the interim government.
On 13 June 2025, a private meeting was held between Tarique and the chief adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, who was on a visit to the United Kingdom. After the meeting, the representatives of both sides issued a joint statement. The meeting was cited as a "turning point" by the BNP sources.
== Return to Bangladesh ==
On 25 December 2025, Tarique Rahman along with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman returned to Bangladesh ending his exile since 2008.
== Cases and controversies ==
Tarique Rahman became the subject of a host of controversies during the third Khaleda Zia government. News reports of his alleged corruption, bribery, and money laundering flooded the local and global news outlets, all of which were termed politically motivated by his party, the BNP. The courts in Dhaka have cleared him of all charges after July Revolution.
=== Hawa Bhaban controversy ===
The bribery and money laundering issue through Hawa Bhaban is known as a significant and controversial scandal in Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman and several top BNP leaders are at the center of these allegations. There are allegations that Tarique Rahman and his associates accepted bribes from various businessmen and political rivals through Hawa Bhaban and laundered the money abroad. Based on these allegations, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) began an investigation in 2007, and he was also investigated by the FBI in the United States and the courts in Singapore.
In 2007, the Bangladeshi government launched an investigation against Tarique Rahman on charges of bribery and money laundering. This led to evidence of various business dealings and international money laundering against him.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Singaporean courts also found evidence of money laundering against him. The investigation led to allegations that he laundered about $20 million abroad.
In 2010, a case was filed in Bangladesh on charges of accepting bribes from various businessmen through Hawa Bhaban and laundering that money abroad.
On 20 March 2025, the court acquitted him in this case.
=== Money laundering case ===
On 7 June 2007, a money laundering case was submitted against Rahman and his friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun by the Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission 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. After delivering the verdict, the trial court judge left the country, giving rise to speculations that he had acquitted Tarique following an alleged deal. Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission member Mohammed 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 have claimed that this judgement is proof of his innocence, that 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. In its observation of the verdict, the High Court commented:
"Corruption practices and political influence are enabling individuals or groups to commit financial crimes like money laundering. It is time to stop such crimes under the political umbrella for the welfare and development of the country."
Mamun's wider business dealings, closely associated with Rahman's political influence, led to further legal scrutiny. For example, in 2022, the ACC filed a graft case against Mamun's company, One Spinning Mills Limited, and its directors, for alleged loan embezzlement from Sonali Bank.
On 5 December 2024, Tarique and his friend Giasuddin Al Mamun were acquitted by the high court of Bangladesh.
=== Illegal wealth acquisition ===
The ACC filed a case against Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, and Zubaida Rahman's mother, Syeda Iqbal Banu, in 2007 during the military-backed caretaker government on allegations that Tarique Rahman and his wife had illegal assets worth more than 48 million taka beyond their declared income.
On 31 March 2009, the investigating officer filed a chargesheet against the three in court. However, the trial against Zubaida's mother, Syeda Iqbal Banu, was later dismissed. The court recorded the statements of 42 witnesses for the prosecution, including the complainant in the case.
A Dhaka court sentenced Tarique Rahman to nine years in prison and a fine of Tk 30 million, and his wife Zubaida Rahman to three years in prison and a fine of Tk 3.5 million. At the same time, the court ordered the confiscation of Tarique's illegal assets worth about Tk 3.5 million in favor of the state.
In October 2024, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus suspended the sentence of Tarique Rahman's wife, Zubaida Rahman, for one year in a case filed on charges of acquiring wealth outside known sources of income, on the condition of surrender and appeal. On 28 May 2025, Tarique Rahman and his wife, Zubaida Rahman, were acquitted of all charges after being found innocent in the case.
=== The Zia Charitable Trust corruption controversy ===
The Zia Charitable Trust corruption case is a much-discussed and controversial case filed against former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, among others. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in 2008. It was alleged that a foreign grant of about Tk 2.1 crore was given to the Zia Orphanage Trust in 2004, but it was used for personal purposes instead of being spent on the trust's work. This led to allegations of misuse of state resources.
The case named former Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, accusing them of personally embezzling foreign grant money. Although Khaleda Zia was directly accused in the case, Tarique Rahman's name was discussed in the case due to the political situation at the time and his political position.
The trial of the case began in 2011. Following the investigation and judicial proceedings, on 8 February 2018, a special court in Dhaka sentenced Khaleda Zia to 5 years in prison and Tarique Rahman and the other accused to 10 years in prison. The High Court later doubled her jail term in that case. Since Tarique Rahman was in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom, he did not appear in court, and the verdict was delivered in his absence. The verdict caused a stir in Bangladeshi politics immediately after the announcement, and its impact was long-lasting.
Khaleda Zia appealed to the High Court to suspend her sentence and was released on bail for some time. Tarique Rahman, although in exile in the UK, was issued an international arrest warrant. The case is politically significant, and its impact is particularly visible in the political arena of Bangladesh.
The case has been the subject of much controversy both at home and abroad. The BNP and its supporters have claimed that the case is politically motivated, while the Awami League has called it an important legal step. The verdict in the case has been the subject of disagreement among various political analysts and legal experts.
On 15 January 2025, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, along with all the accused, were acquitted in the Zia Orphanage Trust case.
=== 2004 Dhaka grenade attack case ===
On 21 August 2004, a grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka killed 24 people and injured about 300, including then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina. On 22 August, Motijheel Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Faruk Ahmed filed a case as the plaintiff. Tarique Rahman was not named as an accused in the case. The Awami League alleged that the investigation under the then BNP government was slow and confusing, and that there was an attempt to cover up the real conspirators of the attack.
When the reinvestigation of the case began during the caretaker government in 2007, the names of Mufti Abdul Hannan, leader of the banned organization Harkatul Jihad, and Abdus Salam Pintu, deputy minister of the then BNP government, came up.
When the Awami League came to power in 2009, a further investigation was carried out. The investigation revealed the names of Tarique Rahman and other high-ranking BNP leaders. In 2011, Tarique Rahman was named as the main conspirator in the supplementary charge sheet and was formally charged in the case. He was accused of being the mastermind of the attack by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader; however, the accusation was denied by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The trial officially began in 2012. After a long hearing, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal announced its verdict in the 21 August grenade attack case on 10 October 2018. The court identified Tariq Rahman as the main conspirator of the attack and sentenced Tariq to life imprisonment in the verdict for the case of the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack. However, the verdict was given in his absence as he was staying abroad. He was shown as a 'fugitive' in the charge sheet. In observing the verdict in this case, the court said:
This attack, with the help of the state apparatus, was an attempt to make the Awami League leaderless.
The BNP denies any link to the attack. It alleges that the verdict was given to ruin BNP in a planned way and to fulfill the desire of the government's a special person.
On 22 November 2024, the High Court concluded a hearing on the appeals and death references of the grenade attack cases. On 1 December 2024, Tarique, Lutfozzaman Babar, and 47 others were acquitted by the court. The High Court has recommended that the Home Ministry take the necessary measures to conduct a new investigation into the 21 August grenade attack case through appropriate and expert agencies to ensure justice.
=== 10-truck arms and ammunition haul ===
The 10-truck arms case is a major and controversial case in Bangladesh, which began on 28 April 2004, when a large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized in 10 trucks in Chittagong. Tarique Rahman was allegedly involved in the case. He was accused of being involved in the arms, and it was claimed that the arms were collected for use in gunfights during the BNP government. It was alleged that the arms were intended to be smuggled to banned armed groups in India. Tarique Rahman and other BNP leaders were investigated for their involvement in the case. It was alleged that Tarique Rahman was involved in the arms smuggling scheme.
The BNP filed a complaint, considering the case to be politically motivated. They claimed that the case was part of a political vendetta and Tarique Rahman was deliberately targeted. On the other hand, the ruling party presented the case as a strong step against political crimes.
On 18 December 2024, the High Court acquitted four people in the case, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar and former Director General of NSI, retired Major General Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury.
=== Sedition case ===
In 2014, Tarique Rahman made a speech about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at an event in London during a discussion organized by the BNP. He referred to Bangabandhu as a "Razakar" and "Pakbandhu" (friend of Pakistan). Often referred to as "insolent" and "stupid" by his political rivals, Tarique labeled Bangabandhu's family a "curse for Bangladesh" and referred to the Awami League as "a black sheep". He referred to Bangladesh's founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as an "illegal prime minister" and called for his prosecution for "treason". He also claimed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had returned home "with a Pakistani passport" in 1972.
These comments caused tension and protests in the country, and multiple legal notices were sent and sedition cases were filed throughout the country.
==== Jessore ====
On 22 January 2014, the Awami League's Jessore district unit's then-organizing secretary, SM Afzal Hossain, filed a lawsuit, claiming that Tarique Rahman had committed sedition by making disparaging, hateful, and disrespectful words about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On 4 April 2017, the police handed in the charge sheet with the court. The court subsequently issued an arrest warrant in the case against Rahman.
On 10 March 2025, the District and Sessions Judge's Court Jessore acquitted Rahman and dismissed a sedition case filed in 2014.
==== Noakhali ====
On 28 February 2015, Advocate Omar Faruk, President of the Subornachar Upazila Awami League, filed a case against Tarique Rahman at the Noakhali Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court.
On 4 April 2017, the police filed the charge sheet to the court. The court subsequently issued an arrest warrant for Rahman in the matter.
On 21 August 2024, the Noakhali Additional District and Sessions Judge Court acquitted him of sedition charges laid on April 4, 2017.
==== Live TV statement ====
On 5 January 2015, Tarique Rahman delivered a live statement on the Ekushey TV channel.
Tejgaon Police Station filed a case claiming that Tarique Rahman, in collusion with others, was involved in publishing false and fabricated information, posing a threat to the sovereignty of the country, and spreading hatred against the government.
On 6 September 2017, police handed in a chargesheet against them.
On 31 October 2024, The High Court scrapped the case.
== Personal life ==
Rahman married Zubaida Rahman on 3 February 1994, a Physician and the youngest daughter of Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan, former Chief of Naval Staff of Bangladesh Navy and the first cousin of Irene Khan, currently serving as the United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion. Zubaida became a government physician in 1995 after passing the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exam and fired by the Awami League government in September 2014 for being absent from work for six years. Their only daughter, Zaima Rahman, is a barrister.
== Footnotes ==
== Citations ==
== External links ==
Official website
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