Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia returned to Dhaka on Tuesday after four months of medical treatment in London, according to AP News.
The 78-year-old opposition leader’s arrival, greeted by thousands of supporters, injected fresh momentum into her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s campaign to end what it calls the “unelected regime” of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Zia, a three-time prime minister and rival of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport via a Qatari air ambulance arranged by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Wheelchair-bound and frail, she waved to crowds lining a 9-kilometre route to her Gulshan residence.
The Yunus-led government, installed after Hasina was toppled in a student-led uprising in August 2024, pledged elections by June 2025 but faced mounting criticism over its vague timeline. Zia’s BNP insists polls must be held by December to prevent further democratic backsliding. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated on Tuesday:
At this crucial time for democracy, her presence marks a significant day for the country. We believe that Khaleda Zia’s return will facilitate the path to democratic transition.
During Hasina’s tenure, Zia was jailed for 17 years on corruption charges her party decried as politically motivated. Released in 2020 on condition she remain in Bangladesh, her medical parole and subsequent London treatment had kept her sidelined until now.
Hasina, currently exiled in India, allegedly retains influence through her Awami League, complicating the interim government’s balancing act.
