Rahman was appointed as the finance minister of the first BNP government under Ziaur Rahman, which he served until 1980.

A long and economically ruinous period of hartals (strikes) eventually brought down the BNP government in June 1996, and the Awami League took power.

Eventually the BNP government was toppled, overthrown and ousted when they resigned on March 31, 1996 and handed over power to the caretaker government.

However the BNP government was not doing well and pressure increased from high-ranking army commanders for the military to take over the reins of state.

The BNP government took initiative in re-introducing parliamentary system of government in Bangladesh.

A BNP government would tackle the national debt problem by cutting expenditure on all projects which they think do not serve British interests.

He added, "... A BNP government would look far more sympathetically on the plight of the Gurkhas than the current Labour government."

Justice Haq was disqualified as he had been appointed Chairman of the Judicial Training Institute by the immediate past BNP government.

When it became clear to him, however, that these moves by the BNP government were only perfunctory, he ceased working with the government after only one month.

Following the resignation of the BNP government at its end of term in late October 2006, there were political protests and violence.