Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will leave for London on January 7 for treatment.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a media briefing tonight at Begum Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence, Firoza.

Before her visit, Begum Zia issued a statement to her party members, Fakhrul said, adding, “Madam said: ‘Work together, work for the people, and work for democracy”.

Fakhrul said, “By the grace of Allah, our leader, who has never compromised on the principles of democracy and the sovereignty of our nation, will leave for London on January 7 for medical treatment. We came here to extend our best wishes to her”.

“We prayed for her recovery and for her to return to us in good health. May she lead us in the ongoing struggle for democracy and make it successful”, he added.

When asked about her return home, Fakhrul said, “It depends on her treatment. We hope she will come back soon after her treatment”.

The preparations for her travel were finalized as she hosted a gathering of BNP’s Standing Committee members at her Gulshan residence ‘Firoza’ this evening.

Khaleda Zia, 79, has been battling multiple health complications, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and kidney issues.

Initially, she will stay at her son Tarique Rahman’s residence in London before heading to the United States for advanced liver treatment at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland.

A multi-disciplinary medical team at Johns Hopkins, led by three expert physicians, will oversee her liver transplant procedures. Previously, the specialists visited Dhaka 0n October 26 to perform a specialized TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedure to manage complications related to her liver condition.

BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamir Uddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Hafizuddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain were present on the occasion.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, Bir Bikram, also met BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia today.