United News of Bangladesh

The body of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was taken to the Gulshan Avenue residence of her elder son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from Evercare Hospital on Wednesday morning. A freezer-van wrapped in the red-and-green national flag, carrying the BNP chief’s body, left Evercare Hospital at around 8:55am and reached Tarique Rahman’s residence at House No-196 on Gulshan Avenue at about 9:16am amid tight security. Earlier, Khaleda Zia’s body was kept at the hospital mortuary overnight. Soon after the body arrived, senior BNP leaders, including party Secretary General Mirza Abbas Standing Committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Selima Rahman, reached the residence.  Tarique Rahman was seen sitting quietly inside the house, reciting from the Holy Quran. From early morning, a large number of party leaders, activists and ordinary people gathered on the roads around the residence and nearby Firoza, Khaleda Zia’s own house, to pay their last respects. Many stood silently, while others were seen praying. Security was tightened in and around the Gulshan area following the arrival of the body.  Members of the army, police, RAB, BGB and other law-enforcement agencies were deployed. Barricades were set up and vehicle movement on parts of Gulshan Avenue was restricted. Family members, close relatives and party leaders will pay their final respects to Khaleda Zia at Tarique’s Gulshan residence. From there, her body will be taken to the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, where her namaz-e-janaza will be held at 2:00pm. Khaleda’s death: Bangladesh observing state mourning, general holiday After the janaza, she will be laid to rest beside the grave of her husband, late President Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.  A grave has already been prepared next to Ziaur Rahman’s tomb. Despite the biting winter cold, people from different parts of the country have been arriving in the capital since early morning to attend the janaza and pay tribute.  Crowds were also seen overnight at the National Parliament area, Evercare Hospital, the Gulshan office and Firoza. Several foreign dignitaries, including representatives from India, Pakistan and other South and Southeast Asian countries, are expected to attend the funeral prayers. Khaleda Zia, a three-time Prime Minister, passed away at Evercare Hospital at around 6:00am on Tuesday (December 30) after receiving treatment for more than a month.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early Tuesday (June 13, 2023) as she fell sick. The BNP chief left her Gulshan residence around 1:20am and reached the hospital around 1:40am, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. He said she was admitted to the Evercare Hospital as per the decision of her medical board. “Madam (Khaleda) was taken to the hospital as she fell ill suddenly,” said BNP's health affairs secretary Dr Rafiqul Islam. Also Read: Niko graft case: Khaleda Zia files petition to cancel charge framing Party sources said Khaleda’s personal doctors, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and some senior leaders went to her residence at midnight after hearing the news of her illness. Later, she was taken to the hospital as per the suggestion of the medical board formed earlier for her treatment.  The BNP chief’s younger brother Shamim Eskandar drove her to the Hospital in a  private car. She last went to the same hospital on April 29 last and received treatment there for five days. Also Read: Khaleda Zia returns home from hospital after 5 days The BNP chief received treatment at the hospital seven times since she was infected with Coronavirus in April, 2021. Khaleda, a 78-year-old former prime minister, has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart and eye problems. Since her conditional release in 2020, the BNP chief has been receiving treatment at the hospital under a medical board headed by cardiologist Prof Shahabuddin Talukder. On June 10 last year, the BNP chief suffered a heart attack due to a 95 percent block in her left artery and a stent was placed there by removing the blockage at the same hospital the following day. Also Read: Khaleda Zia under close observation at Evercare, says her physician Zahid Doctors also found two more blocks in her blood vessels, but they could not remove those due to her health complications. Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail as a lower court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018. Later, she was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with conditions that she will stay in her Gulshan house and will not leave the country. Read more: Law Ministry for extending Khaleda’s jail term suspension without relaxing conditions

With the release of Khaleda Zia, her home-help Fatema Begum who had accompanied the BNP chief voluntarily, also came out of the BSMMU prison cell jail on Wednesday, after over 25 months.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who was released from jail for six months following an executive order, reached her posh Gulshan residence, ‘Firoza’, on Wednesday afternoon after two years, one month and 16 days.