BNP’s Tarique Rahman visits ailing mother ex-PM Khaleda Zia in hospital

Dhaka/New Delhi: BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Thursday visited his mother, Bangladesh's ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, at a hospital, media reports said, marking their first reunion in the country in over 17 years.

The 60-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman returned from self-exile in London earlier in the day, where he had been living since 2008.

He visited his mother, octogenarian BNP Chairperson Zia, at a private hospital in Dhaka, where she is undergoing treatment for multiple health issues, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

The mother-son reunion on Bangladeshi soil comes after more than 17 years, although they have met several times in London, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

Tarique reached the Evercare hospital after addressing thousands of party supporters gathered at the July 36 Expressway in the capital, BSS reported.

His wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman reached the hospital before him, the report said.

Zubaida and Zaima accompanied Tarique from London to Dhaka.

Zia has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since November 23 for multiple health complications and was shifted to a coronary care unit (CCU) later.

On December 11, she was placed on “ventilator support to give rest to her lungs and other vital organs.” Tarique returned home to a rousing welcome and his return is expected to energise his party workers ahead of the February 12 parliamentary elections.

He has emerged as a leading contender for prime ministership in the polls even as the country's Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been trying to throw a stiff competition to the BNP in the polls.