BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia attended the Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment on Friday afternoon.

Khaleda Zia arrived at Senakunja around 4:00 pm, where she was received by Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and senior Armed Forces officials. She left her Gulshan residence, Firoza, at 3:50 pm, according to BNP Standing Committee member and her personal physician Prof. AZM Zahid Hossain.

The 81-year-old BNP chief, who has been managing multiple health complications, was cleared by her medical board to attend the programme. She was accompanied by Syeda Sharmila Rahman Sithi, wife of her late younger son Arafat Rahman Koko. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Prof. Zahid Hossain also travelled in her motorcade.

BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said party Standing Committee members, including Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and Hafizuddin Ahmed, were also present at the reception.

The Armed Forces Division, under the Office of the Chief Adviser, had sent formal invitations to Khaleda Zia, Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, the Secretary General, and senior leaders to mark Armed Forces Day. Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus attended the reception as the chief guest.

Armed Forces Day is observed annually with various programmes to commemorate the formation of Bangladesh’s Army, Navy, and Air Force during the 1971 Liberation War. Khaleda Zia also attended the reception last year, marking her first appearance at the event in 12 years.