Dhaka, Dec 25 (V7N)— In a historic moment for Bangladesh’s political landscape, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returned to his motherland today after 17 years in exile. Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the roads from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to the 300 Feet area (July 36 Expressway), creating a "sea of people" to welcome the leader. The red-and-green bulletproof bus carrying Rahman moved slowly through the crowds as he waved to emotional activists who had gathered from across the country since dawn.

A powerful symbolic gesture marked his arrival at the airport; before boarding the vehicle, Tarique Rahman took off his shoes to step barefoot on Bangladeshi soil and picked up a handful of earth, bringing it to his face in an emotional tribute to the country. Earlier, his Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight had landed in Dhaka at 11:40 am following a brief stopover at Sylhet Osmani International Airport. He was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Barrister Zaima Rahman, and was received at the VVIP lounge by senior BNP leaders including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Tarique Rahman has now reached the 300 Feet Road reception venue, where he is scheduled to deliver a brief address to the nation and express his gratitude to the people. Following this event, he will proceed directly to Evercare Hospital to visit his ailing mother, former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently undergoing treatment in the CCU. The government has provided high-level security for his return, and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has intensified patrols around the airport, the hospital, and his residence in Gulshan.

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