Tarique Rahman is set to return to Dhaka on Thursday (Dec 25) after 17 years in exile and ahead of key elections.

For India, Rahman’s homecoming is politically significant. With the pro-India Awami League barred from contesting the elections and Khaleda Zia hospitalised, Bangladesh faces a volatile political climate. Interim chief Muhammad Yunus has struggled to contain radical Islamist groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami, widely seen as aligned with Pakistan’s ISI, which has regained political ground after being banned under Sheikh Hasina.