BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman visited the grave of his father and party founder Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday afternoon, a day after returning to Bangladesh from a 17-year exile. He arrived at the site around 4:40 p.m., offered prayers, and stood silently for some time in an emotional moment. Senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the party’s standing committee, accompanied him.

Earlier on Thursday, Tarique Rahman returned to the country after years abroad. Upon arrival, he attended a reception organized by the party at Purbachal’s 300 Feet area, visited his ailing mother at Evercare Hospital, and then went to his residence. From noon on Friday, thousands of BNP leaders and activists gathered around Chandrima Udyan and the mausoleum area with banners and festoons to witness his visit. A large number of police, BGB, Ansar, and plainclothes security personnel were deployed to maintain order and ensure his safety.

Following the grave visit, Tarique Rahman was scheduled to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar.