BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will travel to London on Tuesday night for advanced medical treatment, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir formally announced on Sunday night.
“We, all members of the Standing Committee, have come here to bid farewell to our leader (Khaleda) as she embarks on her journey to London on the night of January 7 (Tuesday),” he said.
Fakhrul made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee with Khaleda at her residence in Gulshan.
He wished Khaleda’s swift recovery so that she can return to the country as soon as possible.
In response to a question, he said Khaleda instructed them to work together for people and for democracy.
Fakhrul said they talked to the BNP chief, but no political matters were discussed during the meeting.
“We’ve prayed to the Almighty Allah to heal her and bring her back among us, among the people of the country, so that she can lead the struggle for democracy that we are carrying out and make it a success. This is also the expectation of the people of Bangladesh,” he said.
The BNP Secretary General said they have also prayed for Khaleda’s successful journey and safe return to the country after receiving advanced treatment.
Asked when Khaleda will return, he said, “The doctors can only say that… We hope that she will return to the country very soon after completing her treatment.”
Earlier, the meeting began at Khaleda’s Gulshan residence at 9:12pm and it lasted for around 30 minutes.
BNP Standing Committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan,Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Begum Selima Rahman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member and Khaleda’s personal physician, Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, will inform reporters about the BNP chief’s London tour at a press conference at her Gulshan residence, said party media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.
Later, some BNP leaders, including party vic-chairman Abdullah Noman and Chairperson’s adviser Amanullah Aman, met Khaleda.
Earlier in the evening, LDP President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram met Khaleda Zia.
Oli Ahmed went to Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence, Firoza, at 7:15pm and had a 30-minute meeting before leaving there at 8:00pm.
During the meeting, Oli Ahmed exchanged greetings with the BNP chief and enquired about her physical condition, said his press secretary Salah Uddin Razzak.
According to sources at BNP, Khaleda Zia is expected to leave Dhaka on January 7 (Tuesday) at 10pm for London, from where she will travel to the United States for further treatment.
“If no major complications arise, she will leave Dhaka at 10pm on Tuesday via a Qatar Airways air ambulance bound for London,” said a BNP leader close to Khaleda.
During her way back home, he said, the BNP chief may also perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia.
This will be Khaleda Zia’s second overseas medical trip, following her 2017 visit to London for treatment.
This will be her first reunion with her son Tarique in seven years, and her first overseas visit since she was freed from jail.
Despite her declining health, the Awami League government repeatedly denied her permission to travel abroad for treatment.
Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, she was fully freed under executive order, paving the way for her abroad treatment.
Khaleda Zia, who has been suffering from liver cirrhosis, requires a liver transplant, which is expected to take at least two months.
After her stay in London, she will continue treatment at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, USA.
Earlier on December 25, Khaleda’s personal physician, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain, told UNB, that “Madam (Khaleda) may travel to London on January 7 if she remains fit for the air journey."
Her medical team said that all arrangements have been made for her treatment at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University Hospital in East Baltimore, Maryland.
Khaleda Zia, 79, has been battling multiple health issues, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, arthritis, and complications involving her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyes.
BNP standing committee to meet Khaleda Sunday ahead of London trip
Her doctors have been advocating for her overseas treatment since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in late 2021.
Last year, on October 26, a team of three specialist doctors from the United States performed the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure to address fluid accumulation in her stomach and chest, as well as liver bleeding.
In an effort to accompany her during the trip, a 15-member delegation will travel with the BNP chief, including her late son Arafat Rahman Koko's wife, Syeda Sharmila Rahman, several physicians, BNP leaders, personal staff, and two housemaids.
A senior BNP leader said Khaleda Zia’s office has already informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding her treatment abroad, including the details of the accompanying delegation.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his family have been living in London since 2008.
In March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government temporarily released her on an executive order, suspending her sentence on the condition that she remain at her Gulshan residence and not leave the country.
On August 6, 2023, Khaleda Zia was fully freed by an order from President Mohammed Shahabuddin.