Khaleda Zia Flies to London for Medical Treatment

Dhaka, January 8: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia left for London on Tuesday night to undergo medical treatment. She departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:46 pm aboard a Royal Air Ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

Khaleda Zia was accompanied by her doctors, family members, and work assistants. In addition, a team of Qatari government doctors traveled with her. The Royal Air Ambulance had arrived in Dhaka at 7:40 pm on Monday to facilitate her transportation.

Before her leaving, a long line of BNP leaders and activists gathered near her residence, Firoza, in Gulshan. They started gathering around 7 pm to see her off for the medical trip. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP Secretary General, visited Firoza at 6:15 pm and urged supporters to maintain order and keep the roads clear.

Senior leaders of BNP clarified that it was purely for medical purposes and not politically motivated. They explained that Khaleda Zia needed advanced health care and this was an opportunity to see her family again. 

“May she return to us healthy. We pray that her treatment is successful,” said BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.

Party leaders and activists had lined up along the route from her Gulshan residence to the airport when Khaleda Zia left for abroad at 8 pm yesterday. Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP has taken special gathering arrangements for its activists to see her off. Shamsuddin Didar, Press Wing Officer of BNP Chairperson, confirmed the information to the media.

The 79-year-old former Prime Minister has been suffering from multiple health issues, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and kidney problems. She is expected to be admitted to the London Clinic for treatment upon her arrival at Heathrow Airport in London on Wednesday, according to her personal physician, AZM Zahid Hossain.

Khaleda Zia's departure was attended by BNP leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the BNP Standing Committee, who bid her farewell at the airport.

Her medical team consists of six members: Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, Prof FM Siddique, Prof Nuruddin Ahmed, Zafar Iqbal, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain, and Mohammad Al Mamun. Who else is accompanying her for the trip includes her younger son's wife, Syeda Sharmila Rahman, Advisory Council member Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Executive Committee member Tabith Awal, and her Private Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, along with other personal staff.