Khaleda Zia set to be flown to London today

If all arrangements proceed as planned, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will be flown to London today for advanced medical treatment, according to her medical team and senior party leaders.

As in her previous medical emergency, a Qatari air ambulance will carry her to London.

Preparations to this end have been completed based on the unanimous recommendations of specialist doctors at home and abroad, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Khaleda Zia’s personal physician, said on Thursday.

Zubaida Rahman, daughter-in-law of Khaleda Zia, will arrive in Dhaka from London around 9:30am today, and the air ambulance, carrying the BNP chief and her companions, including Zubaida, is expected to leave for London at any time later.

“We have already selected a designated hospital in London. If everything remains stable, we will take her there after today (Thursday) midnight or early Friday,” Zahid, also a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said.

Speaking at a press briefing in front of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where Khaleda Zia is receiving intensive care in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), he said the decision came following the recommendations of her medical board.

Zahid said some specialised members of her medical board, including two foreign experts, will travel with her to provide treatment if required during the flight.

He thanked the nation for praying for her recovery and expressed gratitude to the chief adviser, members of the Advisory Council, Bangladesh Army, heads of the three services, Evercare Hospital authorities, doctors, nurses, law enforcement agencies, and various ministries for their cooperation.

The BNP leader also thanked embassies of China, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India and Russia for their support and prayers.

“We seek prayers from the countrymen and millions of well-wishers worldwide. We hope she will overcome this critical phase through their prayers,” he added.

Responding to a query, Zahid said they are not thinking about anything beyond the decision of the medical board. “The doctors from the UK and China have physically examined her. They told us she has turned around by the grace of Allah, and we are hopeful she will return among us,” he said.

The medical board, along with the specialised doctors from the UK and China, met at Evercare Hospital around 11:30am and Zahid briefed the media around 2:40pm.

Later, at a press conference at the chairperson’s Gulshan office, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed that the air ambulance sent by the Qatar’s Amir will depart for London early Friday with Khaleda Zia and her accompanying team.

The former prime minister has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital since 23 November. Her condition has been described as critical and unchanged, causing widespread concerns nationwide.

Medical history and present condition

Khaleda Zia went to London on 7 January this year for advanced treatment, by an air ambulance provided by the Qatar’s Amir, where she received treatment – first at a hospital and later at her son Tarique Rahman’s residence. As she recovered, she returned home on 6 May after around four months.

On 23 November, the BNP chairperson visited Evercare Hospital with respiratory complications, and she was admitted to the hospital as tests revealed a lung infection. Subsequently, she developed pneumonia.

Khaleda Zia also has pre-existing chronic conditions, including kidney, liver, arthritis and diabetes issues.

Her condition deteriorated on Sunday, and she was soon shifted to the CCU from the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the hospital.

17 to accompany Khaleda Zia

A total of 17 individuals, including daughter-in-law Syeda Shamila Rahman and six members of her medical board, will accompany Khaleda Zia on her flight to London.

They rest include Abu Zafar, Md Zahid Hossain, Fakhruddin Mohammad Siddiqui, Md Shahabuddin Talukder, Nooruddin Ahmad, Md Zafor Iqbal and Mohammad Al Mamun, two Special Security Force officials – Hasan Shahriar Iqbal and Syed Samin Mahfuz, acting BNP chairman’s Assistant Md Abdul Hai Mollick, Assistant Private Secretary Md Masuder Rahman and housemaids Fatema Begum and Rupa Sikdar.

Temporary helipad set up in Bashundhara Residential Area

A temporary helipad has been set up in the capital’s Bashundhara Residential Area to facilitate emergency air transport for the ailing BNP chairperson.

An Army helicopter conducted a test landing and take-off at the site on Thursday.

Earlier, the government declared the BNP chairperson a Very Very Important Person (VVIP) and deployed members of SSF and President Guard Regiment in and around the hospital for her overall security.

BNP to hold nationwide prayers for Khaleda Zia’s speedy recovery today

BNP Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday, announced that the leaders and activists of the party and its different front and associate bodies will hold special prayers at mosques and other places of worship across the country today for Khaleda Zia’s rapid recovery.

Govt also calls for nationwide prayers

Meanwhile, the interim government also called upon the countrymen, irrespective of their religious faiths, to hold special prayer sessions at their respective places of worship, seeking a quick recovery of Khaleda Zia.

Following Jummah prayers, all mosques will hold special prayers, while temples, churches, pagodas, and other places of worship are also requested to organise prayers according to their religious customs.

People from all walks of life are encouraged to offer prayers from their respective locations. The government made the call in a press statement floated for the media on Thursday afternoon.

The reporter can be reached at: [email protected]