Front-runner to be Bangladesh PM returns after 17 years in exile

Tariq Rahman, who is vying to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister, has returned to the country after 17 years in exile ahead of landmark general elections.

The 60-year-old man is a leading figure of the influential Zia family and the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

The party he leads, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), plans to return to power when Bangladesh goes to the polls in the new year.

Rahman, who has been living in London since 2008, is expected to become the country’s new leader if the BNP becomes the largest party.

Rahman’s return follows the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.

He was the subject of several criminal investigations launched while the Awami League party was in power but was cleared of all charges when his regime fell.

Hasina lives in exile in India and it is unlikely that her party will be allowed to participate in what many see as one of the most important elections in Bangladesh’s history.

Hasina last month sentenced to death for his role in suppressing anti-government protests.

According to UN investigators, nearly 1,400 people died in the student-led unrest.

Hasina, who was tried in absentia, denied committing crimes against humanity.