Khaleda Zia Departs Dhaka for London

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08 Jan 2025, 08:30

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BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has left Dhaka for London to seek advanced medical treatment.

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On Tuesday (January 7) night, shortly after 11:15 PM, a special Royal Air Ambulance flight sent by the Emir of Qatar departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Earlier, at around 10:45 PM, her motorcade arrived at the airport. Khaleda Zia’s immigration procedures were completed through a special process beforehand. However, due to the delayed arrival at the airport, the flight did not depart at its scheduled time.

Prior to this, at around 8:15 PM on Tuesday, Khaleda Zia's motorcade departed from her residence, "Firoza," in Gulshan. Supporters and activists crowded the airport road to bid her farewell, causing the motorcade to slow down and creating severe traffic congestion. It took nearly three hours for her motorcade to reach the airport.

The air ambulance carrying Khaleda Zia is scheduled to land at the United Kingdom's Heathrow Airport at 10 AM (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday (January 8). She will receive 'VIP Protocol' upon arrival, as announced on BNP's verified Facebook page.

Regarding this, Khaleda Zia’s personal physician and BNP’s standing committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain stated that she would be admitted to a renowned hospital under the NHS in London. From Heathrow International Airport, she will be taken directly to this hospital where she will receive treatment.

Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, who has been her personal physician for a long time, will accompany Khaleda Zia on her journey. The special air ambulance will also have four doctors and paramedics onboard. Additionally, six members of her medical board from Dhaka will be traveling on this flight, including Professor Shahabuddin Talukder, Professor FM Siddique, Professor Nuruddin Ahmed, Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, and Dr. Mohammad Al Mamun.

Khaleda Zia will be accompanied by her late son Arafat Rahman Koko’s wife, Syeda Sharmila Rahman. Among the party leaders, her advisor Dr. Mohammad Enamul Haque Chowdhury, executive committee member Tabith Awal, and her personal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, along with a few personal staff, will also be accompanying her.

Earlier, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir visited Khaleda Zia at her residence, Firoza, to bid her farewell. He arrived at 6:10 PM on Tuesday and left after meeting her at 6:35 PM.

During this time, several leaders and activists from different levels, including BNP Chairperson’s advisors Amanullah Aman, Abdus Salam, Habibur Rahman Habib, Joint Secretary General Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, BNP International Affairs Committee member Engineer Ishraq Hossain, Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP President Aminul Haque, and Jubo Dal Senior Vice President Mamun Hasan, also met with Khaleda Zia.

It is noteworthy that Khaleda Zia last went to London on July 15, 2017, for follow-up treatment of her eyes and legs. After returning to the country, she was imprisoned at the beginning of 2018 in multiple corruption cases.

After being in prison for more than two years, the government temporarily suspended her sentence on March 25, 2020, under an executive order, granting her conditional release. Since then, the government has been extending her release period every six months upon application.

In the wake of a mass movement, the Awami League government fell on August 5, and Khaleda Zia was released by an executive order. Since then, BNP has been preparing to take her abroad for advanced medical treatment.

The 79-year-old former Prime Minister suffers from various complications, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, lung issues, arthritis, kidney problems, and diabetes. She has been treated for a prolonged period under a medical board comprising specialist doctors at Evercare Hospital in the capital, often requiring ICU care. Following the fall of the government due to student and public movements, she returned home on August 21 after a month of treatment at Evercare Hospital.

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