Home after 17 years: Zubaida Rahman’s emotional return marks new chapter in BNP legacy
Bangladesh desk: After 17 years in exile, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and daughter-in-law of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, has returned to Bangladesh.
She previously left the country on September 11, 2008, alongside her husband, and had since been residing in London with him and their only daughter, Zaima Rahman.
Dr. Zubaida had been unable to return to the country for nearly two decades due to legal complications. In 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case with Kafrul Police Station against Tarique Rahman, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and her mother Iqbal Mand Banu, accusing them of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income.
In a 2023 verdict, a Dhaka court sentenced Dr. Zubaida to three years in prison and fined her Tk 3.5 million. However, the sentence imposed by the court was suspended in the context of the political change after the uprising on August 5, 2024.
Upon her return, Dr. Zubaida is expected to reside at her father’s house in Dhanmondi, Dhaka—known as “Mahbub Bhaban.” Preparations are underway to welcome her at the family residence, where she will stay with her ailing mother.
A physician by training, Dr. Zubaida graduated with an MBBS from Dhaka Medical College and later earned an MSc in Medicine from Imperial College London. She joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Health Cadre in 1995 after securing the top position in the medical service exam. However, following her extended study leave and failure to return, she was dismissed by the Ministry of Health.
Born in Sylhet, Dr. Zubaida Rahman is the daughter of the late Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan, former Chief of the Bangladesh Navy and a cabinet member during the Ershad regime. She is also the niece of Bangladesh’s Liberation War Commander-in-Chief, General M.A.G. Osmani. She married Tarique Rahman on February 3, 1994.
