Dr. Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and vice president of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, has departed Dhaka for London, where she will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with her husband and daughter. She left the country on Thursday, June 5, aboard a Qatar Airways flight that departed at 10:55 a.m. from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Entering through the VIP terminal, she completed immigration procedures accompanied by her family.

Earlier that morning, around 9 a.m., Dr. Zubaida left her mother-in-law, Begum Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence, for the airport, under police and special security escort. This departure marks a significant moment, contrasting her earlier exit from Bangladesh in 2008 due to a legal case—after which she hadn’t returned until May 6, 2025, when she came back alongside Begum Khaleda Zia.

According to BNP’s press wing, Zubaida’s departure this time comes after the High Court acquitted both her and Tarique Rahman on May 28 in a long-running graft case. Previously, in August 2023, a lower court sentenced Tarique to nine years and Zubaida to three years in prison for illegally amassing wealth. Her sentence was suspended for one year from August 5, 2024, subject to appeal.

On May 14, Justice Khasruzzaman’s High Court bench granted bail to Zubaida Rahman and accepted her appeal against the conviction. The day before, the court had permitted the late filing of her appeal—delayed by 587 days.

During Khaleda Zia’s return from London on May 6, Dr. Zubaida was part of the entourage of 14, including family and medical personnel. Their Qatar royal air ambulance landed in Dhaka at 10:40 a.m. local time. Tarique Rahman personally drove his mother to London’s Heathrow Airport to see her off—an emotional reunion after 17 years apart.