Khaleda Zia will go to London in January

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is going to London in the first half of January for medical treatment.

Her personal physician and BNP standing committee member AZM Zahid Hossain confirmed the matter.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Wednesday, he said preparations are underway to take the former prime minister to London for treatment as recommended by the physicians. However, the date of her departure has not been finalised yet. The schedule will be finalised very soon.

Sources in the BNP say Khaleda Zia will be taken to London on a ‘long haul specialised air ambulance’ first for advanced treatment. From there she will be taken to a multidisciplinary medical centre in the US.

A list of at least 15 people who will accompany the BNP chairperson on the trip has been submitted to foreign ministry. Begum Khaleda went to London lastly on 16 July 2017. After that, Khaleda Zia returned to the country on 18 October of that year with multiple arrest warrants against her in different cases. She was treated by UK physician Barry Hadley.

The BNP chairperson was sentenced to different terms in prison in two corruption cases on 8 February 2018. She was imprisoned for more than two years.

Later, on 25 March 2020, the Awami League government cancelled her sentence in an executive order and released her on condition of not leaving the country.

Khaleda Zia had to be admitted to the hospital several times and she spent days at the hospital. But the Awami League government did not give her permission to go abroad. Later, she underwent a surgery under the supervision of local and foreign physicians in the country.

Khaleda Zia was released on 6 August in an executive order a day after the fall of the Awami League government.