After 17 long years in exile, Dr. Zubaida Rahman is set to return to Bangladesh on Tuesday, May 6, alongside her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. Zubaida left the country on September 11, 2008, with her husband, BNP`s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, and their only daughter, Zaima Rahman, to settle in London.

Begum Khaleda Zia is scheduled to return to Dhaka in a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar after receiving medical treatment in London. The BNP has officially confirmed the travel details.

Back in 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case with Kafrul Police Station against Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and her mother Iqbal Mand Banu for possessing wealth beyond known sources of income. In 2023, a Dhaka court sentenced Zubaida to three years in prison and fined her Tk 3.5 million. However, the sentence was suspended in the wake of political changes following the student-led uprising on August 5, 2024.

Upon her return, Zubaida will stay at her paternal home in Dhanmondi, Dhaka — a house known as “Mahbub Bhaban,” which once belonged to her late father, Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan, a former Navy Chief and minister under President Ziaur Rahman and later under President Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Preparations are underway to welcome her at the residence, where she is expected to stay with her ailing mother.

Atiqur Rahman Rumman of BNP’s media cell confirmed that security upgrades and renovations are in progress at Mahbub Bhaban. CCTV cameras have been installed around the compound walls, and security personnel, including members of the BNP Chairperson’s Special Security Force (CSF), will be stationed there along with police.

“We’ve ensured that security measures do not disturb the neighbors. Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has clearly instructed that all arrangements be carried out respectfully and without causing inconvenience,” Rumman said.

The property also includes a front garden and a designated guard room. Given potential threats to Zubaida’s safety, BNP’s Chief Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar recently wrote to the Inspector General of Police requesting the installation of archway scanners at the residence. Police and intelligence officials have already visited the premises and outlined a security plan.

Dr. Zubaida Rahman graduated in medicine from Dhaka Medical College and later completed a Master’s degree in medicine at Imperial College London. She joined the government health service in 1995, securing first place in the BCS exam. However, after taking educational leave in 2008 to accompany her husband to London, she failed to return to duty, leading to her eventual dismissal by the Health Ministry.

Born in Sylhet, Zubaida is the daughter of Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan. She is also the niece of General M.A.G. Osmani, the commander-in-chief of Bangladesh`s Liberation War forces.

Zubaida married Tarique Rahman on February 3, 1994, and joined the BCS health cadre the following year.

According to BNP sources, Zubaida will accompany Khaleda Zia and Sharmila Rahman, the wife of Khaleda’s late younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, on the return flight. The air ambulance is expected to leave London’s Heathrow Airport at 6:15 PM local time on Monday (May 5), with a stopover in Doha, before arriving in Dhaka around 10:30 AM on Tuesday (May 6).

Khaleda Zia had traveled to London on January 8 this year in the same Qatari air ambulance. She was admitted to London Clinic, a private hospital, where she received 17 days of treatment under the care of renowned specialists Professor Patrick Kennedy and Professor Jennifer Cross. Since January 25, she has been staying at Tarique Rahman’s residence for follow-up care.