Khaleda Zia in London for treatment, meets son after 7 years

DHAKA: Ailing former Bangladesh PM and BNP chief Khaleda Zia on Wednesday met her son Tarique Rahman in London after more than seven years, a reunion made possible by a changed political scenario in Dhaka.

Khaleda (79), who is in London for advanced treatment, had last visited the city in 2017. Since then, she had not met her son, who has been in exile in the UK since 2008, and she was not allowed to leave Bangladesh under the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League govt. Tarique, the acting BNP chairperson, along with his wife Zubaida Rahman greeted his mother at the Heathrow airport.

The ex-PM is confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis. She also suffers from diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. The Hasina govt had consistently refused requests for Khaleda to travel abroad for treatment after her conviction in a graft case in 2018. Khaleda left Dhaka on Tuesday aboard an air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar.