Khaleda to attend freedom fighters’ rally after 6 years

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will attend in-person a rally of freedom-fighters in Dhaka to be organized by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal on Saturday (December 21).

Muktijoddha Dal President Syed Ishtiaque Aziz Ulfat said they will arrange a gathering of freedom fighters at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Saturday where Khaleda will be present as the chief guest.

Ulfat said he, along with BNP standing committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, met the BNP chief last Saturday night and formally invited her to the program. “She has agreed… she said that, if she is in good health, she will join the freedom fighters’ gathering. We hope Madam will be able to take part in this program.”

On February 4, 2018, Khaleda presided over the extended meeting of the BNP at a hotel in Dhaka. This was her last political program, as three days later, on February 8, she was sentenced to jail in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Ulfat mentioned that freedom fighters from all over the country will participate in the gathering on December 21, to celebrate Victory Day.

Earlier, on November 21, Khaleda Zia attended the Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja, marking her first public appearance and participation in a state function in six years, since her imprisonment in February 2018.

Khaleda Zia has been struggling with a range of serious health issues, including liver cirrhosis, heart, lung, kidney, and eye problems. She has undergone multiple treatments at Evercare Hospital in the capital since her conditional release, under the supervision of a medical board led by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder.