Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus held a rare one-on-one meeting with former premier and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Friday (November 21) at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment, on the sidelines of the Armed Forces Day 2025 reception, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing said.
During the brief interaction, Yunus inquired about the 79-year-old former prime minister’s health and “wished her recovery.” Khaleda thanked him and asked about the condition of the chief adviser’s wife Afrozi Yunus, also wishing her well. Syeda Sharmila Rahman, Khaleda’s youngest daughter-in-law, was present.
Khaleda attended the reception after a year, arriving around 4pm in a wheelchair and dressed in a lavender chiffon saree. She was welcomed by Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan. She responded to greetings by raising her hand as she was assisted to her seat—placed next to Yunus.
The ceremony began shortly after 4pm with the national anthem, followed by an address from the chief adviser, who congratulated armed forces members and paid tribute to the country’s freedom fighters. During the event, Khaleda and Yunus exchanged smiles and greetings, marking a notable moment given the tense political climate. Khaleda was accompanied by sister-in-law Syeda Sharmila Rahman and Nasrin Iskander, widow of her late brother Sayeed Iskander.
Senior BNP leaders, including Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and retired Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, were also in attendance, BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan said.