Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has returned to Dhaka after four months of medical treatment in the British capital, London, raising pressure on the country’s interim government to set a date for national elections.

Zia’s return on Tuesday came at a critical juncture for Bangladesh, which has been governed by an interim administration since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising in August last year.

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Zia’s presence in the country has huge symbolic value for her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) while her archrival Hasina is in exile in India.

“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,” BNP secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.

Thousands of supporters gathered outside Dhaka’s main airport and along the road leading to her house to welcome Zia, who has spent recent years in and out of hospital. She was seen sitting in a wheelchair at the airport. The 78-year-old BNP leader smiled as she repeatedly raised her right hand to receive greetings.

A three-time prime minister – twice for full five-year terms and once for just a few months – and Hasina’s chief political rival was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison on charges of fund embezzlement from charitable trusts. The charges were brought during Hasina’s rule and were widely viewed by the BNP as politically motivated.

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In January, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted Zia, overturning a 10-year sentence and clearing her of any wrongdoing. The ruling followed a separate November 2024 acquittal in another high-profile case, in which Zia had been accused of misappropriating more than $260,000 from a second trust during her last term in office.

Election date

While Zia had already been released from prison, her arrival in Bangladesh will intensify calls on the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to announce a clear date for national elections.

Bangladesh’s authorities have pledged to hold elections by either December this year or June next year, depending on the pace of reforms.

Zia is the widow of former military ruler Ziaur Rahman, assassinated in 1981, and became the country’s first female prime minister, and one of the first women world leaders from South Asia.

Zia’s elder son, Tarique Rahman, leads the BNP as acting chief from exile in London.

Hasina, the last elected prime minister, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.