Khaleda Zia's Triumphant Return: Freedom Amidst Political Shifts in Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia returned home after extensive hospitalization. She was acquitted of charges following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. Zia's return marks her first time at home as a truly free person after a presidential pardon. Advanced medical treatment abroad is imminent.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia returned to her home as a free individual on Wednesday after more than a month of medical treatment at a local hospital. Her return follows the acquittal of all charges against her, which came after the fall of the Awami League government led by her political rival Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Zia, 79, had been under house arrest for the past five years. This marks her first return home as a free person following a presidential pardon earlier this month, The Daily Star reported. BNP activists and senior leaders escorted her home upon her release from the hospital at around 7:00 pm, according to BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan.

Zia, who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006, has been suffering from various ailments. She will soon be sent abroad for advanced medical treatment, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Tax authorities recently decided to unfreeze her bank accounts, signaling rapid political changes following the fall of the Hasina-led government.

(With inputs from agencies.)