Dhaka, Dec. 25 -- BNP leader Tarique Rahman has finally returned to Bangladesh, ending more than a decade and a half in exile.

The Bangladesh Biman flight carrying him landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11:43am on Thursday.

He is to be formally welcomed at the airport's VIP lounge by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the party's Standing Committee.

Earlier, the flight arrived at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet at 9:55am. After a stopover of just over an hour, it departed for Dhaka at 11:11am.

During the stopover, Tarique remained on board the aircraft. At 10:18am, he posted a smiling photograph with his wife on Facebook, writing: "Finally in Sylhet, on the soil of Banglad...