BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been invited by the Saudi Arabian government to perform Umrah. She is expected to perform the pilgrimage in mid-December before proceeding abroad for advanced medical treatment. Following her visit to Saudi Arabia, she is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom and later to the United States.

According to members of the medical board overseeing her treatment, Khaleda Zia may require treatment in two or three countries, including the United States. Preparations are underway for her travel, and if all goes as planned, she may commence her journey on December 12 or 13. She will be accompanied by 17 individuals, including doctors, and plans to perform Umrah en route to her treatment destination.

On Wednesday (November 27), Khaleda Zia visited the U.S. Embassy from her Gulshan residence, “Firoza.” She was welcomed by the acting U.S. ambassador and embassy officials. Accompanying her were BNP Standing Committee member Prof. AZM Zahid Hossain, Organizing Secretary Shama Obaid, her private secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, and personal physician Mohammad Mamun.

Her doctors confirmed that she is physically fit for air travel but emphasized precautions, with six doctors joining her on the journey. While her U.K. visa has already been obtained, her U.S. visa application is still being processed.

Khaleda Zia, sentenced in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases, was imprisoned on February 8, 2018. After more than two years of incarceration, her sentence was suspended by the government through an executive order on March 25, 2020, granting her conditional temporary release. The suspension was subsequently extended every six months upon application by the BNP.

On August 5, following the fall of the Awami League government amid mass protests, Khaleda Zia was released unconditionally via executive order. Since then, BNP has been working to arrange her overseas treatment.

The 79-year-old former prime minister suffers from liver cirrhosis, heart disease, lung complications, arthritis, kidney issues, diabetes, and other complex conditions. She has undergone prolonged treatment at Dhaka`s Evercare Hospital under a medical board comprising specialist doctors, often requiring ICU care. After the government’s fall due to a student-led mass movement, she was discharged from Evercare Hospital on August 21 after a month-long stay and has been under preparation for her foreign medical treatment.