January 8th 2025.
Khaleda Zia, the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and former prime minister, experienced a heartwarming reunion with her eldest son, Tarique Rahman, at Heathrow International Airport on Wednesday after being separated for more than seven years. The 79-year-old former premier, who is currently battling multiple diseases, arrived in London on a Qatari Royal Air Ambulance for medical treatment, marking her first overseas trip since July 16, 2017. This was when she traveled to London for treatment and was unable to leave the country since then due to legal complications.
The air ambulance carrying Zia landed at Heathrow International Airport at 2:55 pm, as shared by her physician Professor AZM Zahid Hossain. The acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh in London, Mohammad Hazrat Ali Khan, welcomed Zia with a bouquet upon her arrival, as reported by the state-run BSS news agency. She was also greeted by her son Rahman, who is currently serving as the acting chairperson of the BNP, and his wife Zubaida at the airport, according to the Daily Star newspaper.
It was an emotional moment for Zia to meet her son Rahman after four long years, as the previous government had not allowed her to travel abroad. This was due to her son's legal complications and convictions in criminal and graft cases. Rahman has been living in London since 2008. The air ambulance, which departed from Dhaka on Tuesday, made a stopover in Doha before reaching London.
Zia's decision to seek medical treatment in the UK came months after her conviction on graft charges was scrapped by a court. This was following the fall of ex-premier Sheikh Hasina's regime in a student-led upsurge in August. The Emir of Qatar provided a special plane equipped with advanced medical facilities, including an ICU, for Zia's treatment. Along with four Royal Qatari doctors and paramedics, several Bangladeshi doctors also accompanied her, along with her younger daughter-in-law and other relatives.
Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, Zia was directly admitted to the London Clinic, as shared by one of her accompanying doctors, AZM Zahid Hossain. The doctors at the facility will assess her health and determine the next course of treatment. It has been a long time coming for Zia to receive medical treatment abroad, as doctors have been advocating for it since late 2021. However, the previous government under Hasina's rule had denied her request.
Zia was imprisoned for over two years and was only released under a presidential order after the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison for graft in 2018 during Hasina's rule. On March 25, 2020, her sentence was suspended and she was granted conditional release through an executive order. This was followed by extensions every six months, upon application.
Since her release, Zia has been admitted to a specialized private hospital multiple times, complaining of various health issues, including cardiac ailments. She made a public appearance on November 21, 2024, at Dhaka Cantonment when she attended the Armed Forces Day reception at the invitation of the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
