Zubaida Rahman en route to Dhaka, Khaleda Zia to be transported to London

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will be flown to London for advanced medical treatment, her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain confirmed in a briefing on Thursday afternoon (December 4).

She is expected to depart either late Thursday night or Friday morning via an air ambulance arranged by Qatar. "Fourteen doctors will accompany her during the transfer," he said.

Qatar officially approved the air ambulance following a formal request from the BNP. The request was submitted on November 29 by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to Qatar’s Ambassador in Dhaka, Seraiya Ali Al Qahtani, and consent was conveyed on Thursday morning.

Additionally, Zubaida Rahman—wife of the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and a physician—is scheduled to travel to Dhaka from London. Upon arrival, she will assess Khaleda Zia’s overall condition and accompany her to London if deemed medically feasible.

British specialist Dr. Richard Bell and four Chinese medical experts are currently in Dhaka to support her care.

Khaleda Zia has been receiving treatment at the capital's Evercare Hospital since November 23. She was admitted following breathing difficulties and a lung infection, and her condition worsened on Sunday, prompting a transfer from the SDU to the CCU. Doctors have described her condition as stable over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, after she was designated a 'Very Important Person' (VVIP), members of the SSF and PGR were deployed to reinforce security around the hospital premises.