Dhaka, Dec. 2 -- BNP leader Tarique Rahman has not applied for a travel pass to return home yet, Foreign Advisor Touhid has said amid growing speculation fuelled by the critical condition of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

A travel pass will be issued "if he asks for it", Touhid told reporters at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Asked whether any application had been made, he said: "To my knowledge, he hasn't applied yet.

There has been much discussion about when the BNP acting chairman, who has been residing in London for 17 years, will return to the country as the country gears up for the upcoming national election in February. BNP leaders previously suggested he would return in November.

The discussion about his home...