Khaleda to be taken to clinic from Heathrow

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is set to leave for London via Doha tonight and is expected to reach Heathrow International Airport on Wednesday morning. From there, she will be taken directly to the London Clinic for advanced medical treatment.

Khaleda Zia's eldest son Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman will be receiving her from the airport.

This will be her first reunion with her son in seven years and her first overseas trip since her release from jail.

BNP's acting chairman Tarique and his family have been residing in London since 2008.

The party's media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said Khaleda will leave her Gulshan residence at 8:00pm for the airport.

Accompanied by her medical team of six doctors from her medical board and four air ambulance specialists, she will depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:00pm.

She will be accompanied to the airport by several party members and family members, including her late son Arafat Rahman Koko's wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman; her Advisory Council member Enamul Haque Chowdhury; BNP Executive Committee member Tabith Awal; her private secretary ABM Abdus Sattar; and staffers and caregivers.

The party's standing committee members, at a meeting last night, decided that they would visit Khaleda at her residence to extend their greetings before she leaves for the airport.

The party also emphasised the importance of avoiding large gatherings of leaders and activists during her travel to maintain order and avoid any public disruptions.

Speaking to reporters at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office yesterday, the party's Standing Committee Member and Khaleda's personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain said, "Khaleda Zia will be taken directly to the London Clinic upon her arrival. Doctors there will assess her condition and determine the next steps for her treatment."

Sources said a special air ambulance, arranged by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived in Dhaka yesterday evening to facilitate her transport. He provided the aircraft upon learning about the former prime minister's illness.

Doctors have said the BNP chairperson has been suffering from liver cirrhosis and may require a transplant, adding that the entire treatment process, including recovery, may take several months.

Following her treatment, Khaleda is likely to visit Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah before returning to Bangladesh.

Zahid said doctors will decide the feasibility and timing of the liver transplant after a detailed evaluation at the specialised unit in London.

Responding to a question, he said, "If they [doctors in London] say she needs further treatment that they can't provide and there is a need to take her to Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Maryland, USA, that will be looked into."

Zahid added that Khaleda has been suffering from compensated liver cirrhosis (Grade-2), for which she earlier underwent the Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) procedure.

"There're some technical aspects of the TIPS, including the adjustments. We could not check those, and we've not been able to determine if the stent set up in her heart is functioning properly... There are several blockages in her heart," a UNB report quoted him as saying.

During the Awami League government's tenure, despite her deteriorating health and 20 appeals to the government along with protests, Khaleda was repeatedly denied permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Following the fall of the AL government on August 5, she was fully freed by an order from President Mohammed Shahabuddin the very next day, paving the way for her overseas treatment.

Along with liver cirrhosis, Khaleda Zia, 79, has been suffering from diabetes, arthritis, and complications in her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyes.

Her doctors have been advocating for her overseas treatment since she was diagnosed with cirrhosis in late 2021.

On October 26, 2023, a team of three specialist doctors from the United States performed the TIPS procedure to address fluid accumulation in her stomach and chest, as well as a bleed in the liver.

Khaleda was jailed on February 8, 2018, in a corruption case. 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. The term of her release had been extended several times.

In April 2023, she contracted Covid-19 and recovered while under treatment at home. However, as the other health complications surfaced, she was admitted to Evercare Hospital several times.

STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING

The BNP Standing Committee meeting also focused on several pressing issues, including the party's struggles, recent political movements, and the upcoming election.

Leaders expressed concern that BNP's 16-year-long political struggle is being overlooked.

A committee member, speaking on condition of anonymity, who was present at the meeting, said, "BNP has played a significant role in the current political scenario, but the response from the government has been far from satisfactory."

The committee also discussed the delay in announcing the election schedule, calling it a matter of concern.