BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo has declared that Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh once the date for the 13th National Parliamentary Election is officially announced.

Speaking to reporters, Mintoo emphasized that the outcome of university student union elections has no bearing on the upcoming national polls. “BNP is a large democratic party that firmly believes in the people’s right to vote and in democracy itself,” he said.

Raising concerns about governance, Mintoo noted that questions about the government’s legitimacy cast a shadow over the election process. He criticized the deteriorating law-and-order situation, pointing to incidents of mob justice and politically motivated blame-shifting.

While acknowledging that some BNP activists had been involved in misconduct, Mintoo said, “We have already expelled three to four thousand leaders and workers from the party for such activities.”