‘Adding pressure for election’: How int’l media covering Khaleda Zia’s return to Bangladesh

BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia returned to Dhaka today (6 May) after four months of medical treatment in London, drawing attention from international media outlets.

The return of the ailing leader — who has been at the centre of Bangladesh’s political landscape for decades — was widely reported by several international media platforms, particularly from the Middle East.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya provided updates on her arrival, highlighting both the public response and the broader political implications.

With the headline “Ex-leader Khaleda Zia returns to Bangladesh at ‘crucial time for democracy’,” Al Jazeera reported that Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia has returned to Dhaka after four months of medical treatment in the British capital, London, raising pressure on the country’s interim government to set a date for national elections.

Zia’s return today came at a critical juncture for Bangladesh, which has been governed by an interim administration since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising in August last year.

Zia’s presence in the country has huge symbolic value for her party while her archrival Hasina is in exile in India.

“This is a joyous moment for us and the nation. At this crucial time for democracy, her presence marks a significant day for the country. We believe that Khaleda Zia’s return will facilitate the path to democratic transition,” Al Jazeera reports as quoted by BNP secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

While Zia had already been released from prison, her arrival in Bangladesh will intensify calls on the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, to announce a clear date for national elections, reports Al Jazeera.

Bangladesh’s authorities have pledged to hold elections by either December this year or June next year, depending on the pace of reforms.

Al Arabiya also reported with the same thoughts in a report titled “Bangladesh’s former PM Khaleda Zia returns, adding pressure for elections.”

Khaleda Zia returned to the country, adding to pressure for its interim leaders to hold elections.

The South Asian country has been under a government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted, reports Al Arabiya.

BNP have been pushing Yunus’ government to hold a national election in December to return the country to democratic rule.

Today, a Qatari royal air ambulance carrying Khaleda Zia and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:42am, according to BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

She was accompanied by her two daughters-in-law — Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, and Syeda Sharmila Rahman, wife of her late son Arafat Rahman Koko.

Shortly after arrival, Khaleda left the airport in a vehicle where she was seated in the front, escorted by her family and surrounded by tight security. The convoy reached her Gulshan residence, “Firoza,” around 1:25pm.

Thousands of BNP leaders and activists lined the streets from the airport to Gulshan, offering a hero’s welcome to their party chief, chanting slogans and waving flags in a powerful show of loyalty and solidarity.