Khaleda to return home by Qatar emir’s air ambulance on Tuesday

She will be accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, Tarique Rahman’s wife Zubaida Rahman and the late Arafat Rahman Koko’s wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is scheduled to return home on a special air ambulance provided by the Qatari emir on Tuesday morning. She will be accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, Tarique Rahman’s wife Zubaida Rahman and late Arafat Rahman Koko’s wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman.

Khaleda’s personal physician Prof AZM Zahid Hossain, currently in London, shared the information.

He said, “Alhamdulillah, the special air ambulance of the Qatari emir will set off from Heathrow airport carrying Madam on Monday evening. The flight will take a stopover at Doha and reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday morning In Sha Allah.”

On Saturday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a press meet and had said Khaleda was supposed to return on Monday. However, he could not provide the exact time of her return.

He said, ‘‘We hope that our leader Khaleda Zia will return home in the same special plane (air ambulance) she flew to London on, meaning the air ambulance from Qatar.”

‘‘We can’t confirm you the time right now as it depends on several aspects.”

Prof Zahid said the plane will leave London’s Heathrow Airport on Monday. The estimated time of departure is local time 4:10pm and stopover at Doha at 1:25am. The flight will land at Hazrat Shajalal International Airport between 10:30am and 11:30am on Tuesday.

The air ambulance will have a medical team for Qatar’s emir in it.

Meanwhile, the head of Khaleda’s medical board Evercare Hospital specialist Prof Shahabuddin Talukdar has already reached London. He, along with Zahid will take over the medical treatment management for Khaleda from the doctors at the London Clinic.

The 79-year-old former premier travelled to London on Jan 8 for advanced medical treatment. She was admitted to The London Clinic on the same day.

After undergoing various tests for 17 days, she was discharged on Jan 25 and moved to her son Tarique Rahman’s home, where she received medical care under the supervision of specialists Prof Patrick Kennedy and Prof Jennifer Cross.