Khaleda Zia attends first public event after six years

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia made her first public appearance in six years by attending the Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja, Dhaka Cantonment. Arriving at 3:50 pm from her Gulshan residence, this was her first participation in the event since 2012. Top BNP leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were also present. The 79-year-old former Prime Minister has long suffered from ailments like liver cirrhosis, heart, lung, and kidney issues, receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital. Convicted in two corruption cases, she was jailed in 2018 but temporarily released in 2020 during the pandemic. On August 6, 2024, she was fully freed by a presidential pardon, granted under Article 49 of the constitution.