BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is set to travel to the UK tonight, Tuesday, for advanced medical treatment. After seven and a half years, she will reunite with her son, Tarique Rahman, in London. However, Khaleda Zia will not visit her son’s residence but will be taken directly to a hospital in London. An air ambulance sent by Qatar’s Emir arrived in Dhaka on Monday to transport her. Security measures have been heightened at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for her departure.

If recommended by doctors in London, Khaleda Zia may later be transferred to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in the United States. Her medical team has not specified when she might return to Bangladesh, leaving BNP supporters anxious amid the current political climate.

The 80-year-old former prime minister has been battling multiple health issues, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and kidney problems, for years. After her conviction in two cases in 2018, she spent two years in solitary confinement in Dhaka's old jail. Though her sentence was suspended by executive order, she spent over four years hospitalized. Despite repeated requests, the Awami League government had previously denied her permission to seek treatment abroad. Her last overseas trip was in July 2017.

Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5 after a student-led uprising, Khaleda Zia’s sentence was pardoned by the President the next day. However, she continues to challenge her convictions in court, having already been acquitted in one case and having her sentence suspended in another, enabling her to contest in elections again.

While BNP activists have been relieved from arrests since Sheikh Hasina’s fall, the party remains vocal about its demand for early elections. With Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman living abroad for 17 years, Khaleda Zia’s absence has unsettled BNP leaders and supporters.

The air ambulance, provided by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities, including an ICU. A team of six doctors, nurses, and personal aides will accompany Khaleda Zia. Additionally, a backup aircraft is ready for any emergencies. The air ambulance will fly from Dhaka to Doha and then to London, where Tarique Rahman will receive his mother at Heathrow Airport.

At a press conference in Gulshan, Khaleda Zia’s physician, Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, confirmed that the air ambulance is scheduled to depart at 10 PM tonight. The medical team will include six members of Khaleda Zia’s medical board, as well as her daughter-in-law Syeda Sharmila Rahman, advisor Enamul Haque Chowdhury, executive committee member Tabith Awal, and personal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, among others.

Dr. Zahid Hossain stated that Khaleda Zia has liver cirrhosis, for which a medical procedure called TIPS was performed. Some adjustments and technical evaluations are needed, particularly concerning her heart stenting, which could not be done in Bangladesh. She also has kidney issues and complications from COVID-19. While the medical care provided in Bangladesh was the best possible, further specialized treatment is required abroad.

Regarding treatment in the US, Dr. Zahid mentioned that this would depend on recommendations from London-based doctors.

To ensure security at the airport, authorities have implemented multi-layered measures involving law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Ten platoons of police, airport armed police, RAB, and specialized units such as SWAT are on alert. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has tightened entry restrictions at the airport to prevent any disruptions.