BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is set to return to Dhaka from London on Tuesday, and party leaders and activists are making extensive preparations to receive her at the airport and along the route to her home in Gulshan.
According to sources in BNP, her return after four months has generated significant excitement within the party.
Khaleda Zia is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:30am by a special air ambulance.
Accompanying her on the journey are her two daughters-in-law—Zubaida Rahman and Sharmila Rahman—her personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, adviser Enamul Haque Chowdhury, APS Masudur Rahman, and two domestic aides, Fatema Begum and Rupa Haque.
Party leaders have said the BNP chairperson is feeling “much healthier” after receiving treatment, which is why she has decided to return to the country.
Ahead of her arrival, the police are implementing extensive traffic management measures and ensuring maximum security at the airport. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Sajjad Ali shared these updates on Monday.
At a press briefing on Saturday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party’s leaders and activists are emotionally charged over her return.
“Every patriotic citizen is feeling inspired and energised that their beloved leader is returning home. It is our moral duty to give her a proper welcome. It’s not just BNP—the entire nation is ready to welcome her,” he added.
Fakhrul also mentioned that the party has held joint meetings to ensure that the welcome is organised and disciplined.
During the press briefing the DMP commissioner recalled that heavy traffic congestion occurred the last time Khaleda Zia left the country.
“This time, we are planning traffic arrangements to ensure the public does not face such inconvenience,” he said.
DMP’s Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Sarwar said several steps are being taken to prevent traffic jams and minimise public inconvenience during the event.
These include asking BNP supporters to gather on footpaths rather than on roads, implementing extra traffic control measures, and proposing increased metro rail trips on Tuesday, he added.
Sheikh Sajjad Ali also said the government has issued high-level instructions to ensure the safety of Khaleda Zia and Zubaida Rahman, wife of Tarique Rahman, and that security measures are being taken accordingly.
Referring to the former prime minister’s long-term residence in her Gulshan home before she left for medical treatment abroad, the commissioner added that Khaleda Zia will return to that residence, where security arrangements are being strengthened.
Khaleda Zia travelled to London on 8 January aboard a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar for medical treatment. She will return on the same air ambulance.