Mother, son reunite at Evercare

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia met her elder son Tarique Rahma at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka yesterday after a separation of more than seven and a half months as the party's acting chairman returned home, ending a 17-year exile.

Tarique entered the hospital at 5:54pm and went straight to his mother's intensive care unit room, where he sat beside her.

 While the street in front of the hospital was bustling with BNP leaders and activists celebrating Tarique's return, the mother-son reunion was quiet inside.

 As Tarique watched her quietly, Khaleda noticed him and gently moved her hand, said a doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity.

During the visit, Tarique spoke with members of the medical board overseeing Khaleda's treatment, enquiring about her physical condition. He also thanked the doctors for their care.

 He was accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman, their daughter Zaima Rahman, and several senior BNP leaders during the nearly two-hour visit.

 Before visiting the hospital, Tarique sought prayers for his mother at a public reception upon arrival from London.

 After the hospital visit, he went to his Gulshan residence with his family.

 Doctors said last night that Khaleda's physical condition remains unchanged and that she is responding to treatment.

 Her last meeting with Tarique was on May 6 this year, when she left London for Dhaka after receiving advanced treatment for nearly four months. She travelled to the UK on January 8.

 The BNP chief has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital since November 23, following the advice of her medical board after she was diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs. She is also suffering from pneumonia.

 Now 80, Khaleda has long battled multiple health complications, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and ailments affecting her kidneys, lungs, heart and eyes. She has a permanent pacemaker and has previously undergone stent placement for her heart.