Dhaka: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is going to the United Kingdom (UK) on Saturday evening for her medical treatment.

‘Our chairperson will go to the UK on July 15 to receive her eye and feet (arthritis) treatment there,’ said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday night.

Coming out of a meeting of the BNP standing committee members, he formally announced it at a press conference at Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence.

He, however, did not say when she is going to leave here for London on Saturday.

Contacted, BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan said Khaleda Zia is scheduled to leave Dhaka for London at 7:30pm on Saturday by an Emirates Airlines flight.

Asked when the BNP chief may return home, Fakhrul said it depends on how much time it takes for her treatment.

BNP leaders close to Khaleda Zia said she may return home from the UK after celebrating Eid-ul-Azha there with her family members, including her eldest son and party senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman who has long been living there.

Earlier on September 16, 2015, Khaleda Zia went to London for her eye treatment. Though it was a two-week tour, she returned home on November 21 of the year after celebrating Eid-ul-Azha there with her family members.

Ahead of her UK tour, the BNP chief sat with her party’s standing committee members, the highest policymaking body of it, around 9:40pm at her Gulshan residence.

Fakhrul said the meeting discussed various issues, including deteriorating flood situation in the country’s northern districts, outbreak of Chikungunya in the capital, soaring prices of rice and essentials and ‘sliding’ law-and-order situation.

He said the BNP standing committee members urged the government to ensure sufficient relief materials for the flood victims.

The BNP leader said the meeting observed that the ruling party men and the Prime Minister have been carrying out election campaign unilaterally across the country abusing their power. ‘They’re conducting campaign riding helicopters, but not giving the opposition any scope of launching the campaign.’

Fakhrul urged the government to ensure a level-playing and democratic space for all the parties. He said the meeting also disused various organisational issues, including the ways to make the party’s member collection drive a success.

Apart from Fakhrul, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Tariqul Islam, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury attended the meeting.