Staff Correspondent:

Along with her, her daughters-in-law Zubaida Rahman (wife of Tarique Rahman) and Syeda Shamila Rahman (wife of the late Arafat Rahman Koko) are also set to return.

Sources said Khaleda Zia is scheduled to return by 30 April 2025, with preparations underway for her return via a special air ambulance from Qatar.

Currently, Khaleda Zia is undergoing a full health check-up at her eldest son Tarique Rahman’s residence in the United Kingdom.

A diplomatic source from Dhaka has confirmed that BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir wrote to the interim government’s Foreign Affairs Advisor, Tawhidul Islam, requesting arrangements for a special air ambulance from Qatar to bring Khaleda Zia back to Bangladesh.

The letter mentioned that Khaleda Zia is currently in London for advanced treatment. While her condition is stable, it is not entirely free from danger. She has expressed her interest in returning home in the last week of April.

Following this letter, the government has started preparing to repatriate Khaleda Zia through the Bangladesh High Commissions in London and Doha. If everything proceeds smoothly, Khaleda Zia is expected to return home by next Wednesday (April 30).

Khaleda Zia was arrested in 2018 in a corruption case and imprisoned in the Old Dhaka Central Jail. The previous government granted her bail on humanitarian grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year, Khaleda Zia was released under an order from Mohammed Shahabuddin. Subsequently, the court annulled the verdicts in the two corruption cases for which she had been imprisoned.

Khaleda Zia was taken to London for advanced medical treatment on January 8, 2025. After 17 days of treatment, she was moved from a London clinic to Tarique Rahman’s house on January 25. For the first time in over half a decade, Khaleda Zia celebrated Eid with her family.

The three-time former Prime Minister had spent four previous Eids in prison and at the Bangladesh Medical University Hospital.

Currently, Khaleda Zia is undergoing a comprehensive health check-up at Tarique Rahman’s residence. She has been suffering from various health issues, including liver cirrhosis, kidney problems, heart conditions, diabetes, and arthritis.

It is worth noting that the last time BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia visited London was on July 15, 2017. Since then, she has not made any other foreign trips.