Pakistan, Jan. 22 -- Bangladesh on Thursday formally launched campaigns for next month's general election, the first national polls since the 2024 uprising that ended the long rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Read More: Bangladesh sets Feb election after year of political upheaval

Thousands of supporters of leading opposition figure Tarique Rahman, head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), gathered in the northern city of Sylhet, waving party flags and chanting slogans in his support. Rahman, widely known as Tarique Zia, returned to Bangladesh in December after spending 17 years in exile and is considered a key frontrunner in the February 12 vote.

Bangladesh, a nation of about 170 million people, will elect 350 lawmak...