Tarique receives BNP chief Khaleda Zia in London

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s eldest son Tarique Rahman has received his mother and driven her to her hotel after she arrived in London.

A regular Emirates flight carrying her touched down at the Heathrow Airport at 7:15am local time on Wednesday.

Tarique, along with BNP’s UK unit chief MA Malek and Secretary Koysor Ahmed, received her at the VIP lounge, while hundreds of her supporters gathered outside the airport.

On the other hand, activists of the Awami League’s UK unit held a demonstration outside the Heathrow Airport.

Khaleda left Dhaka for UK on Tuesday night for a health check-up. She will return after spending the Eid-ul-Azha with Tarique’s family.

Tarique drove her to hotel Sofitel. She will move to another hotel later.

Khaleda would interact with the Bengali media and attend meetings of her party’s UK unit during her stay, Malek said.

She will meet community leaders at an Eid reception, he added.

Awami League’s UK unit Secretary Syed Faruk told bdnews24.com they would stage protests “whenever Khaleda has a meeting” and “specially is she tries to lobby with the British authorities”.

This is Khaleda's second visit to the UK after 2006. She dropped by in London in 2011 to visit Tarique while returning from the US.

BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique has been living in London since 2007. He is wanted for an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s life in the Aug 21, 2004 grenade attack.

Tarique met Khaleda last year when she went to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.