00:00Indrajeet, Khalid Azia has passed away at the age of 80.
00:03We're learning that she was undergoing treatment from quite some time.
00:07In fact, we're also learning that her son, Tariq Rahman, in fact,
00:12returned not just for the upcoming elections, but actually to see his ailing mother.
00:19Well, that's right. That is precisely why Tariq Rahman's homecoming took place.
00:24Because Tariq Rahman, for the past 17 years,
00:28have been living in exile in London.
00:31And there were several locations when Khalid Azia was taken to London for treatment
00:37and to meet her family.
00:40So, you know, Tariq Rahman couldn't return to Dhaka all this while
00:45when Sheikh Hasina was in power.
00:47Remember, the BNP was in a crisis.
00:50Even though they were the principal opposition party,
00:52the opposition space had shrunk.
00:54There was always this allegation against the OAMI League
00:57that it was an autocratic regime,
00:59and they had cracked down on the opposition BNP and its leadership.
01:03So in that sense, Khalid Azia remains a towering figure.
01:07As I said, three-time prime minister,
01:09you know, she and the leader of the biggest opposition political party
01:13in the last 15 years.
01:14She has been able to galvanize and hold the party together
01:18in its darkest of hours.
01:20And this is the time when most people believe,
01:25and there is a sense in Bangladesh,
01:27that the BNP is literally waiting in the wings
01:31to take charge of power in the upcoming elections on February 12th,
01:36given that it is the biggest political party in Bangladesh right now,
01:40in the absence of the OAMI League,
01:42with Sheikh Hasina in exile in India.
01:45So Tariq Rahman's return is politically very, very symbolic.
01:49Last week, he returned to Bangladesh after 17 long years,
01:53only after, in the cases, the charges were dropped against him
01:57by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration.
02:00And they assured him foolproof security.
02:03In fact, there was a video,
02:04and hopefully we'll be able to play it out for our audiences,
02:07where Tariq Rahman,
02:08as soon as he landed at the Hazrat Shah Jalal airport in Dhaka,
02:11he dialed Muhammad Yunus, spoke to him over phone,
02:14and thanked him for all the arrangements
02:18and the security that was provided to him.
02:20Then we've seen those visuals of lacks of BNP supporters
02:23converging on the streets of Dhaka
02:25to welcome Tariq Rahman after 17 long years,
02:29because there is a political vacuum that does exist.
02:34You know, the interim administration has a very limited mandate.
02:37And in that backdrop,
02:38we can also discuss the relationship with India,
02:42because India has been observing
02:44what's happening in Bangladesh very, very closely.
02:48Absolutely, Indraji, do stay with us.
02:50Talking about ties with India,
02:51we're showing our viewers the visuals of Khalidazia
02:54with top Indian leaders,
02:56be it former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani
02:59or be it former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
03:02And in fact, she also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
03:05We're showing you the visuals when Khalidazia met LK Advani,
03:10Sushma Swaraj in these visuals with Khalidazia.
03:14In fact, Khalidazia also met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
03:19And in fact, the current Prime Minister,
03:21Narendra Modi also, Khalidazia met with him as well.
03:26Indrajiit continues to stay with us.
03:28Indrajiit, throw some light on the friendly and frosty ties
03:31that Khalidazia has had with India.
03:36Well, look, you know, Khalidazia's personal equation with India
03:39is something that we can come later on.
03:41But we must understand that Bangladesh
03:43has been a long-standing friend and ally of India
03:46in the South Asia region.
03:48In fact, all the countries that we have,
03:50Bangladesh has had the most cordial, warmest of relations
03:54with India.
03:56And in most of this tenure,
04:00ever since the existence of Bangladesh,
04:02you know, the creation of Bangladesh in 1971,
04:06it was the Awami League.
04:07Historically, it was, you know,
04:09Bongabondi Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
04:11who led the resistance against the Pakistani regime.
04:15He came back, he led this regime,
04:17and it was supported by India,
04:20you know, during Indra Gandhi's tenure.
04:22And India decided to enter,
04:25and the Indian military decided to take part
04:27in the resistance and help the creation of Bangladesh.
04:30So therefore, you know,
04:32while India shares a historic tie
04:34with the Awami League leadership,
04:37and as I have been saying,
04:39that, you know, when Sheikh Hasina,
04:42her entire family, Sheikh Mujib,
04:43and his entire family was assassinated in Bangladesh,
04:47Sheikh Hasina was abroad with her sister Sheikh Rehana.
04:50They were the only two people of their generation,
04:53of the family,
04:54of the lineage of Bangabondi Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
04:57who were alive.
04:58And they were lucky that they were abroad.
05:00The entire family had been gunned down,
05:02assassinated in Bangladesh.
05:04During that time,
05:05the role that India played,
05:07Indra Gandhi,
05:08and of course,
05:09Branagh Mukherjee,
05:10our former, you know,
05:11finance minister,
05:12he played a very, very crucial role
05:14in providing shelter,
05:16personally,
05:17to Sheikh Hasina then.
05:18And that's how Sheikh Hasina
05:20then went back to Bangladesh,
05:22you know,
05:22got into politics,
05:24and resurrected the Awami League.
05:26So, since then,
05:27Bangladesh politics has always been bipolar,
05:30with the Awami League,
05:31led by Sheikh Hasina,
05:33and with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,
05:35led by Khalid Azia.
05:37Now, you would remember,
05:38interestingly,
05:39Bangladesh politics has always had
05:41these interesting turns.
05:42There were assassinations,
05:43there were killings.
05:44Even, you know,
05:45Khalid Azia's husband,
05:47Zia Rahman,
05:47the former prime minister,
05:50he was also assassinated.
05:52And Khalid Azia,
05:53you know,
05:53took reins of the party,
05:55of the BNP,
05:56and resurrected the party.
05:57And since then,
05:58he has been,
05:59she has been kind of a matriarch
06:01of the party.
06:02She is the chairperson
06:03of the party,
06:04and has kept the party together,
06:06even in its darkest hours,
06:08during all this while,
06:10during, you know,
06:11Sheikh Hasina's rule,
06:12and the Awami League regime
06:13in Bangladesh
06:14in recent years.
06:15And she has been unwell.
06:17She has been ailing
06:18for a long period of time.
06:20Most often,
06:20she would not make
06:21a public appearance.
06:22You know,
06:23her photos would be released
06:24by the Bangladesh
06:25Nationalist Party.
06:26Her message would be released,
06:28video messages
06:28would be released
06:29on social media
06:30by her party men.
06:32Most often,
06:33she could not make
06:34public appearances
06:35because of her health.
06:36In recent times,
06:37just before she was admitted
06:38to the hospital
06:39on December 23rd,
06:42recently she made
06:43a public appearance
06:44after a long period
06:45of time
06:46where she went
06:47for an event
06:49organized by the army,
06:50and she met
06:51Mohammed Yunus there.
06:53She met the army chief,
06:54Vakar Uzaman there,
06:55and there was this,
06:56you know,
06:57video,
06:57this photograph
06:58that went by
06:59on social media
07:00with General Vakar,
07:02the Bangladesh army chief,
07:03saluting Khalil Garzia,
07:05the tallest political leader
07:06present in Bangladesh
07:08right now.
07:09and she also met,
07:10you know,
07:11Mohammed Yunus,
07:12but many felt
07:13that she coming out
07:14of her house
07:15and the sensitive condition
07:18of her health then,
07:19that only deteriorated,
07:21that public appearance
07:22that she made then
07:23a few weeks back
07:24that deteriorated
07:25her condition
07:26and immediately
07:27she was,
07:28you know,
07:29rushed to the hospital.
07:30Since then,
07:31she has been
07:32very,
07:32very critical.
07:33There was a possibility,
07:34there was a provision.
07:35The Bangladesh Nationalist Party
07:38top leadership
07:39was thinking
07:39that if she could be
07:41flown out of Bangladesh
07:42to some other country,
07:44maybe to Europe
07:44or to Qatar
07:46for medical assistance.
07:49In fact,
07:50there was an air ambulance
07:51that was also kept
07:52in standby,
07:53provided by the Qatar regime.
07:56However,
07:57her condition
07:57did not permit that.
07:58She was in a very,
07:59very critical condition,
08:01precisely why
08:02Tariq Rahman,
08:03her son,
08:03and the acting chairman
08:04rushed to Bangladesh
08:06after 17 long years
08:09in exile.
08:10He's back in Bangladesh
08:11as soon as he landed
08:12in Bangladesh,
08:13in Dhaka.
08:14He went straight
08:15after the meeting
08:16that the BNP
08:17had organized,
08:18he went straight
08:19to the Evercare hospital
08:20and he,
08:22for the first time,
08:23saw his mother
08:23after a long,
08:24long period.
08:26And since then,
08:27he has made a couple of,
08:29you know,
08:29visited the hospital
08:30a couple of times
08:31and today,
08:32morning,
08:33at around 6 a.m.,
08:34Bangladesh time
08:35is when the announcement
08:36was formally made
08:37by the Bangladesh
08:38Nationalist Party
08:39that Khalid Azia
08:40is no more.
08:41She was 80,
08:42she had multi-organ failure,
08:43she had a cardiac issue.
08:46So, you know,
08:47this was something
08:47that was on the anvil,
08:49on the cards.
08:50It was just a matter
08:50of time
08:51when this will be announced.
08:52There was an anticipation
08:54in Bangladesh politics,
08:55even when nominations
08:57are being filed
08:58by most political parties
09:00and even the BNP.
09:01The BNP,
09:02on their part,
09:02has already announced
09:03a coalition
09:04with other like-minded
09:06political parties.
09:07You know,
09:07Mirza,
09:08Fakrul Islam,
09:09Alam Gheer,
09:09who is the second
09:10most important leader
09:11after Khalid Azia
09:14and Tariq Rahman.
09:15And,
09:15you know,
09:16he is also a veteran,
09:17veteran leader,
09:18very old.
09:19So he made those
09:20announcements
09:20of the coalition.
09:22So the BNP
09:22is completely immersed
09:24in this poll process
09:25right now.
09:26And Tariq Rahman
09:27coming back
09:28has given a major fillet
09:29to the BNP's prospects
09:31and it has only charged up
09:33their supporter base.
09:35In that backdrop,
09:36as I said,
09:38Khalid Azia is passing away
09:39and the timing
09:40is very important.
09:42And the fact
09:42that the BNP
09:43has decided
09:44to make it public
09:45that Khalid Azia
09:46is no more,
09:47they are expecting
09:48that there is going
09:49to be a mass
09:49outpouring of grief
09:50and support
09:51in favour of the party
09:52which is only going
09:53to help the BNP
09:54and their poll prospects.
09:56Absolutely.
09:56Indrajit,
09:57do stay with us.
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