BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia left Dhaka on Tuesday night for London to get treatment at a state-of-the-art medical facility for multiple health issues.

A special air ambulance, sent by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:46 PM, carrying Khaleda Zia.

Senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, saw her off at the airport.

Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, the BNP chief will head straight to The London Clinic for medical care.

Earlier, she left her Gulshan residence Feroza for the airport around 8:15pm and reached the airport at 10:50pm.

Speaking at the airport, Mirza Fakhrul said Khaleda Zia urged the country’s people to pray for her recovery.

Khaleda Zia and her son and party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman are going to reunite after a long time when they meet at the London airport today. They last met over seven years ago after Khaleda Zia went to London on 15 July 2017 for treatment and spent time with her family members.

Thousands of people gathered outside the Gulshan residence of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday evening to bid her farewell.

The crowd, consisting mainly of BNP leaders and activists, filled the streets near her home, showing deep love, affection and support for their beloved 79-year-old leader, who has been battling serious health issues.

Emotions ran high as many supporters chanted slogans, expressing their well-wishes for Khaleda's recovery.

Several thousand people, including the party leaders and activists, were also seen on both sides of the road from Gulshan to the airport while immense gatherings were also witnessed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area.

To ensure security during Khaleda's departure, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) took special measures, including the deployment of an adequate number of law enforcement personnel from the Airport Armed Police, RAB, DMP, DB and SWAT teams.

The special air ambulance arrived at the VIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday to transport the BNP chairperson to London. The Qatar Royal Family's Airbus A319 air ambulance, designed for long-distance medical evacuations, is equipped with advanced medical facilities, making it a "flying ICU" with ventilators and defibrillators.

Earlier on Monday, BNP Standing Committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said Khaleda Zia would reach London via Doha and would be taken directly to The London Clinic, an advanced treatment centre in London, from Heathrow Airport.

He said acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, her granddaughter Zaima Zarnaz Rahman and the party leaders from the UK unit will welcome Khaleda Zia upon her arrival at Heathrow Airport.

Dr Zahid said Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani provided the special aircraft of the Royal Fleet after learning about the physical illness of former prime minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia.

He said six members of the medical board formed for Khaleda Zia's treatment in Dhaka - Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, Prof FM Siddique, Prof Nuruddin Ahmed, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain and Dr Mohammad Al Mamun are accompanying Khaleda Zia in the air ambulance.

Besides, she is also accompanied by Syeda Sharmila Rahman, wife of her late son Arafat Rahman Koko, Chairperson's Advisory Council member Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Executive Committee member Tabith Awal, and her Private Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, along with a few personal officials and employees.

Dr Zahid said doctors at The London Clinic will see her and then decide what the next course of action will be.

Khaleda Zia has long been battling various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart and eyes.

"She had multiple heart blocks. We only did a minimal amount of lifesaving stent. She needs to address the other blocks she has and her chronic kidney disease needs to be addressed. She has some complications after her corona, so we need to take measures to resolve these things," Dr Zahid said.

Asked about liver transplantation, he said the liver transplant will be decided after she goes to the liver transplant unit, which is in The London Clinic. "So, doctors there will decide what the next course of treatment will be," he added.

In response to a question about treatment in the United States, Khaleda Zia's personal physician said if the doctors at The London Clinic refer her, she may be taken to Johns Hopkins University Hospital.

Asked whether she will go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, he said it is not a pre-decided, but Khaleda Zia is interested in performing Umrah.

On 26 October 2023, three US specialist doctors completed the hepatic procedure known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water accretion in Khaleda Zia's stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.

Khaleda Zia's doctors have been recommending sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021.

Despite repeated requests from her family for permission to seek medical treatment abroad, the previous fascist Awami League government did not grant her permission, even in critical condition.

Tarique Rahman along with his family has been living in London since 12 September 2008.

This will be Khaleda Zia's second overseas medical trip, following her 2017 visit to London for treatment.

This will also be her first reunion with her son Tarique Rahman in over seven years and her first overseas visit since she was freed from jail.

Khaleda Zia was fully freed on 6 August 2024 by a presidential order following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina's government in a mass uprising.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the autocratic government temporarily released Khaleda Zia on 25 March 2020 through an executive order, suspending her sentence after 776 days in jail.

However, the fascist Awami League government also imposed the condition that she could not travel abroad while staying in her Gulshan residence under conditional release.

BNP Standing Committee members met the party chairperson at her Gulshan office on Sunday night.

With the departure of Khaleda Zia from Dhaka, no member of the Zia family is now staying in the country at a time when rumours are there that a conspiracy is being hatched to implement the "minus two" formula in the absence of the two supreme leaders of the BNP.

BDST: 0304 HRS, JAN 08, 2025
SMS