Prime minister hopeful Tarique Rahman arrives in Bangladesh: party

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of supporters after his 17 years in self-imposed exile.

Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shook hands with party leaders after touching down at the Dhaka airport.

Accompanied by his wife and daughter, he waved to supporters before ducking into a convoy under tight security, video posted by his party showed.

Since early Thursday, BNP-backers have been gathering in the capital, plastering the streets with banners and festoons bearing images of Rahman. 

Patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers while cut-outs depicted Rahman riding a stallion.

Rahman left Bangladesh for London in 2008 after what he has described as political persecution.

As acting chairman of the BNP, Rahman will lead the party through the February 12 general election, the first polls since ex-premier Sheikh Hasina's exit following a student-led uprising last year.

The BNP is widely seen as an election frontrunner, with Rahman expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.

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Rahman's ailing mother, 80-year-old former leader Zia, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka.

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in the upcoming elections.

But she was hospitalised soon after making that pledge, and has been in intensive care ever since.

Rahman's return comes after recent unrest over the killing of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a staunch India-critic who took part in last year's mass uprising.

Hadi, 32, was shot by masked assailants this month in Dhaka, and later died of his wounds at a Singapore hospital. 

His death set off violent protests with mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favour India, as well as a prominent cultural institution.

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