Thousands of leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its front and associate organisations on Wednesday welcomed their leader Khaleda Zia on her return after three months from London on Wednesday.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5:00pm in a regular flight of Emirates Airlines, the party leaders said.
Leaders and activists of BNP, Chhatra Dal, Juba Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Mahila Dal, Olema Dal, Muktijoddha Dal, JASAS, among other front and associate organisations of the party from different parts of Dhaka city and the adjacent districts thronged the airport area to receive Khaleda, also a former prime minister, halting the traffic on the important road for several hours.
As the street lights on the airport road were off for sometime during movement of Khaleda’s motorcade, the party activists switched on lights of their mobile phones.
The BNP chief returned home at a time when three warrants for her arrests were issued in the second week of October.
There are fears and speculations in the political arena over the possibility of Khaleda’s arrest after her return as home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday told journalists that legal action would be taken against Khaleda on her return.
Khaleda is likely to appear before court today seeking bail in the cases.
The cheerful leaders and activists stood on both sides of the airport road holding banners, festoons, placards, portraits of the late president Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman and chanted welcoming and political slogans as the motorcade of Khaleda moved slowly towards her residence at Gulshan.
Smiling Khaleda responded waving to the excited crowd.
Additional law enforcers along with water cannon vehicles, armoured personal carrier were placed in the airport area to avert any untoward incident.
Huge rush of BNP leaders and activists slowed down and sometimes halted traffic on Airport road towards Tongi in the north and towards the south in the capital, particularly when Khaleda’s motorcade was moving.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, among others, received Khaleda at the airport.
Moudud, talking to reporters at the airport, said police obstructed thousands of leaders and activists of BNP who came to the airport to welcome Khaleda.
On July 15, Khaleda left Dhaka for London for medical treatment of her eye and knee.
She underwent cataract surgery in the right eye on August 8.
Khaleda had stayed at the residence of her elder son Tarique Rahman, also BNP senior vice-chairman, in London.
Tarique, along with his family, has been staying in the United Kingdom since September 2008.
Airport Police Station officer-in-charge Nur-e-Alam Miah said they witnessed traffic congestion on the airport intersection for several hours.
Traffic was suspended for 45-minutes while it was very slow for two hours during her arrival, he added.
Source: New Age
