DHAKA: Bangladesh`s ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, chair of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned home to cheering crowds on Tuesday after four months abroad for medical treatment.

Khaleda, 79, who leads the oppositionBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), arrived on a special air ambulance arranged by Qatars Emir.

Greeted by senior BNP leaders, she smiled and waved from her wheelchair as thousands of supporters, some draped in Bangladesh and BNP flags, lined the streets leading to her residence.

Her return has reignited the oppositions callfor national elections.

She led the nation twice but was jailed for corruption in 2018 during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, who barred her from trav-elling abroad for medical care. She was released from house arrest after a student-led mass uprising ousted Hasina in August 2024.-AFP