The return of Tarique Rahman from exile in London, after 17 years, should be seen as a positive development by everyone fighting on the side of the democratic transition in Bangladesh since August 5, 2024. The rank-and-file within the BNP clearly adore him, judging by the huge numbers who turned out on the streets of Dhaka, coming from all corners of the country to welcome their leader home. With Begum Khaleda Zia's deteriorating health, we can probably say that now without any caveats.

It's a role that Tarique has spent much of his adult life preparing for - not only to lead the BNP, but also Bangladesh. That too now looks well within his reach, as he prepares to lead the BNP into the 13th parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12 next year. The BNP are clear favourites, having survived endless persecution during AL's fascist era, including coordinated attempts to break it up. By-and-large though, it managed to stay intact, thanks to the efforts of Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir, the party's secretary general, who worked tirelessly within Bangladesh, and other senior leaders like Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who literally held the fort at the party's famed central office in Naya Paltan. Tarique too deserves credit for almost perfecting the art of providing leadership over Zoom. He was often mocked for it, but seeing that the party has largely held together, outlasted the all-powerful, domineering and oppressive AL regime, and today stands on the cusp of power, you have to say he has had the last laugh.

There was some concern over whether Tarique, who turned 59 last month, might get slightly fazed by the prospect of facing a Bangladeshi audience in the flesh again - after all, he hadn't done anything like this for at least 17 years, and there was every chance of the occasion overwhelming him. Emotions were running high at Purbachal's 300 Feet Road, that had been chosen by the party to construct the stage. Yet from the moment he is introduced by Salahuddin Ahmed, a strong candidate to be the party's next secretary-general, something switches on in Tarique and he speaks ex tempore for the next 17 minutes (was it a minute for each year he spent in exile?), achieving an instant connection with all who were watching.

Delivering the most important speech of his life, standing on this soil after 17 years, Tarique did not appear at all flustered, awkward or out of place. Indeed, he looked in his element. And I dare say, very much the leader this nation has been missing.

Before ending, just a word on the allegations that dogged him in the past, particularly dating from the period of the last BNP government. We must not forget that four successive governments over 15 years were unable to prove even 10% of the frenzy of allegations made against him, and this was certainly not for lack of trying. We know he lived a pretty simple life in exile, nothing too flashy at all. Now that he has returned, I think we can safely call out the intense vilification campaign that his opponents ran against him at the time.