A multi-storey luxurious building is located in a posh colony of the Banani area of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The building’s name is ‘The Azure’. Built of glass and steel, the building is visible from a far distance.
But two decades ago, a building stood here known as Hawa Bhaban. This building was not a mark of modernisation; instead, it was considered a centre of muscle power and terror.
Hawa Bhaban power centre
Hawa Bhaban was once the office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s leader, known as the ‘Dark Prince’, Tarique Rahman. Between 2001 and 2006, during the BNP regime, Hawa Bhaban was considered an alternative power centre. It was situated nearly six kilometres from the President House.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia ran the government from ‘Ganabhaban’, while on the other side, Tarique Rahman ran the power centre from Hawa Bhaban. It was alleged at the time that Tarique Rahman was running the government from Hawa Bhaban.
Hawa Bhaban in grenade plot
Government officers, intelligence officials, BNP leaders, and journalists admitted that key government decisions were taken at Hawa Bhaban instead of Ganabhaban. It was also said that the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack, aimed at killing Awami League leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was conspired from Hawa Bhaban.
According to reports, all major decisions and planning were finalised at Hawa Bhaban. In 2004, a cache of arms and ammunition was brought with the help of government and intelligence officials through Chittagong Port to supply India’s separatist group ULFA. Files were cleared from Hawa Bhaban instead of the Prime Minister’s Office. Traders queued up there, and opponents were managed from the same centre.
On Thursday, Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh from London after 17 years.
Corruption-era symbol
Notably, Rahman was the working president of the BNP and managed the party from London. His mother was admitted to hospital on November 23. The ‘Dark Prince’ Tarique Rahman’s Hawa Bhaban does not exist today, but its image still lives on as a symbol of corruption, violence, and an unruly power centre.
Analysts are debating whether Tarique Rahman’s second stint will be an atonement or a recurrence of the old days.
US diplomat’s ‘Dark Prince’ tag
The United States gave Tarique Rahman the moniker ‘Dark Prince’. In December 2005, the then US Charge d’Affaires to Bangladesh, Judith A. Chamas, referred to him as the “Dark Prince”, writing that Tarique had inherited the “Zia” brand of political cleverness and possessed unlimited money extorted from traders through tolls.
Former US ambassador James F. Moriarty termed him a symbol of a plunder system and violent politics. According to WikiLeaks cables released in 2011, it was alleged that Tarique openly sought bribes in government tenders, legal matters, and appointments. Moriarty had urged the US administration to ban his entry into the United States. These cables projected the image of Hawa Bhaban at an international level.
US flags massive graft
In 2005, Transparency International declared Bangladesh the most corrupt country in the world. The World Bank stopped funding Bangladesh for three mega projects, citing corruption. According to the US embassy, Tarique Rahman had accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars through extortion, commissions, and bribes.
There were allegations that Siemens paid a two per cent commission to Tarique Rahman and his elder brother Arafat Rahman Coco for projects. The Chinese company Harbin allegedly paid $7.5 lakh for an 80-megawatt project, while Monem Construction reportedly offered $4.5 lakh. It was also alleged that Tarique intervened in a murder case involving an industrialist’s son in exchange for Tk 2.1 crore. Another allegation claimed that funds from the Zia Orphanage Trust were used for land purchases and election campaigns.
Tarique’s hold on cabinet
The former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office once called Tarique Rahman a “wind tunnel” and described Khaleda Zia’s tenure as a massive failure in shielding her son’s corruption. In 2006, then US ambassador Patricia A. Butenis referred to a group of Tarique’s loyalists when 60 ministers were included in the cabinet.
According to US and Bangladeshi officials, terrorist organisations received political cover under Tarique. Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) chief Mufti Abdul Hanan told a court that a meeting was held at Hawa Bhaban, where Tarique Rahman allegedly promised full support for the 2004 grenade attack. On August 21, 2004, Sheikh Hasina was attacked, and 24 activists were killed.
Joy accuses Tarique
Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, claimed that Tarique ordered the killing of his mother on August 14 from Hawa Bhaban. It was later alleged that Tarique helped the attackers flee and destroy evidence. During the BNP-Jamaat rule, several attacks took place on Hindus, Ahmadis, women, journalists, and tribals.
After the BNP-Jamaat alliance took power in 2001, their leaders were allegedly involved in over 18,000 violent incidents. After Sheikh Hasina assumed office in 2009, Hawa Bhaban was razed, and 84 cases were registered against Tarique Rahman. He was arrested before leaving for London in 2008 and, under parole conditions, was restricted from participating in political activities. The BNP claimed many cases were false and politically motivated.
Cases dropped after Hasina’s ouster
During Sheikh Hasina’s regime, Tarique Rahman was convicted in cases related to money laundering, corruption, and the grenade attack. However, after Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted, courts overturned all his convictions and acquitted him of all charges, paving the way for his return to Bangladesh politics. During his years in exile, Rahman addressed party workers through video conferencing.
