Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s ailing former Prime Minister, returned to Dhaka on Tuesday after receiving four months of medical treatment in London. Her return adds pressure on the country’s caretaker leadership to commit to holding Bangladesh elections in 2025.

Zia landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:43 am, where she was welcomed by senior members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Seated in a wheelchair, she greeted supporters with repeated waves of her right hand. Thousands of BNP supporters lined a 9-kilometer stretch from the airport to her residence in the Gulshan neighborhood, waving party and national flags under tight security measures.

The former premier traveled aboard a special air ambulance arranged by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who had also facilitated her medical transfer to London in January. Zia suffers from multiple serious health conditions and has largely avoided public events in recent years.

Symbolic significance for BNP

Despite her limited mobility, Zia’s return carries strong symbolic weight for her party. The BNP views her presence as critical to revitalizing the opposition movement at a time when political uncertainty looms large.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters, "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."

Since the student-led uprising that removed longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, Bangladesh has been under a caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. The interim administration is tasked with managing state affairs and preparing the country for elections.

Zia and the BNP have consistently called on Yunus’ government to organize elections by December to restore democratic governance. However, there is growing skepticism over the interim administration’s intentions and ability to carry out credible elections.

Opposition demands for December elections

While officials have suggested that elections could take place in December or by June next year, the timeline remains uncertain. BNP leaders emphasize that only timely elections under neutral oversight can restore public confidence in the political process. The push for Bangladesh elections 2025 has intensified amid mounting domestic and international scrutiny.

BNP’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, Zia’s elder son, continues to lead the party from exile in London. His leadership underscores the party's ongoing challenges, including restricted political space and fragmented opposition coordination.

Zia's return is viewed as a morale boost for BNP supporters, particularly with Hasina still in exile in India. Her visible presence is seen as a critical counterweight to a government many view as lacking electoral legitimacy.

During Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, Zia was convicted in two corruption cases and sentenced to 17 years in prison, a verdict the BNP has denounced as politically motivated. Hasina’s administration rejected those claims. Zia was later released under the condition that she remain within the country.

A central figure in the country's political evolution, Zia has held the premiership three times since Bangladesh’s transition from military rule in 1991, including two full five-year terms.

She is the widow of former military chief-turned-president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981. Hasina, her political rival, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh’s independence movement from Pakistan in 1971.