BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia left Heathrow Airport on Monday night for Dhaka in a special air ambulance provided by the amir of Qatar, as she is returning home nearly four months after receiving advanced treatment in London.
“The special air ambulance provided by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, carrying BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her entourage, took off at around 9:35pm (BST),” said BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.
He said the flight is scheduled to reach Hamad International Airport in Doha at 1:25am local time and will fly to Dhaka after a stopover of an hour and 35 minutes.
Earlier, the BNP chief left the home of her elder son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman at around 7pm (BST) and reached the airport in nearly 40 minutes.
Tarique personally drove his mother to Heathrow Airport and saw her off there.
Khaleda Zia sat in the seat beside Tarique, while Dr Zubaida Rahman and her daughter were in the back seats of the car on their way to the airport.
A video posted by Tarique on his verified Facebook page shows him happily seeing his mother off and the other entourage at the airport, saying “Allah Hafez”.
Several hundred leaders and activists of the BNP’s UK chapter gathered near the airport to see Khaleda off.
As the party leaders and workers shouted slogans upon seeing Khaleda’s vehicle, she waved her hand towards them.
Khaleda Zia is accompanied by her two daughters-in-law—Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of her eldest son Tarique Rahman, and Syeda Shamila Rahman, wife of her late son Arafat Rahman Koko—along with other entourage members, including her medical team.
“She is expected to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 10am on Tuesday. We hope that she will reach Dhaka on time,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told UNB.
He urged party leaders and activists to remain alert and not cause any traffic jams on their way to giving the BNP chief a reception upon her return home, as there is an SSC exam scheduled for Tuesday.
The BNP secretary general also urged law enforcers and party leaders, and workers to ensure that no public inconvenience arises during the reception of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda Zia travelled to London on January 8 in the same special air ambulance sent by the emir of Qatar.
Upon arrival, she was admitted to the London Clinic, a private hospital, where she remained under the care of renowned specialists Professor Patrick Kennedy and Professor Jennifer Cross for 17 days.
Since January 25, she has been receiving treatment at the residence of her elder son Tarique Rahman.
Meanwhile, the BNP has completed all preparations to give the BNP chief a massive reception on her way back to her Gulshan residence from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Since the BNP chief will be travelling from Dhaka airport to her residence in Gulshan via the Kakoli route, Fakhrul urged everyone not to stand on the road in any way.
“Those who wish to welcome Madam should stand on the footpath and greet her from there. We have instructed that party leaders and activists may hold national and BNP flags while receiving her,” Fakhrul said.
He also urged the general public to use the elevated expressway from the airport to Kakoli on the day of Khaleda’s return to avoid traffic congestion.
The BNP chief’s Gulshan residence, Firoza, located on Road 80, has been fully prepared to welcome her.
Zubaida’s homecoming after 17 years
Tarique Rahman, Dr Zubaida and their daughter Zaima Rahman have been living in London since 2008.
After 17 years in exile, Dr Zubaida Rahman is also returning home with her mother-in-law, with a plan to stay at her father’s Dhanmondi residence.
Her father’s house, Mahbub Bhaban, located on Road 5 of Dhanmondi, is also prepared to welcome Zubaida.
Though the house is already well-kept, additional arrangements have been made so that Zubaida can stay there with comfort and security.