Khaleda to leave for Saudi Arabia Wednesday with family to perform Hajj, Tarique to join her

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will perform Hajj with her family members including eldest son Tarique Rahman.

She will leave for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, her special assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas told bdnews24.com on Tuesday.

He said they will be performing the pilgrimage at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He said Tarique along with his wife and daughter will also start for Jeddah from London on Wednesday.

Tarique, who has been living in the UK for past eight years, accompanied his mother in July 2014 in performing Umrah.

Accused in a number of cases at home, he has been staying in London since 2008 after securing bail from the Supreme Court.

His mother-in-law Iqbal Mand Banu, her eldest daughter Shahina Khan Zaman Bindu and her husband Syed Shafiuzzaman will accompany Khaleda during the Hajj. They started for Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon.

Khaleda will also be accompanied by several party leaders, her Personal Secretary Abdus Sattar and photographer Nuru Uddin Ahmed, among others.

BNP leaders said Syeda Sharmila Rahman Sithi, wife of Khaleda's late son Arafat Rahman Coco, will leave from London on Wednesday and join the former prime minister in Jeddah.

This will be Khaleda's third Hajj. She performed the pilgrimage first in 1991 when she was the prime minister and then in 1997 when she was in the Opposition.

But the BNP chief performs Umrah during Ramadan every year.