Summary:
- Former BNP leader Lutfozzaman Babar hospitalized in Dubai after suffering severe breathing difficulties during a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage.
- The 72-year-old was en route to Madinah with his son when the medical emergency occurred, leading to an emergency landing and hospitalization.
- Babar’s hospitalization follows his recent release from prison after 17 years and a prior cardiac-related hospitalization in Dhaka earlier this month.
- Family pilgrimage plans disrupted as Babar’s wife and relatives await updates while continuing their journey to Saudi Arabia.
Former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Lutfozzaman Babar was hospitalized in Dubai on Friday after suffering severe breathing difficulties during a flight to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage. The 72-year-old former state minister for home affairs fell ill aboard an Emirates Airlines flight from Dhaka to Madinah, prompting an emergency medical response upon landing in Dubai.
Babar’s personal assistant Mirza Haider Ali confirmed the former minister was rushed to a clinic near Dubai International Airport after the Thursday 6 p.m. flight made an unscheduled stop. “Doctors advised immediate hospitalization following preliminary checks. He remains under intensive observation at a Dubai medical facility,” Haider told reporters. The BNP leader’s eldest son, Labib Ibn Zaman, accompanied him during the journey and remains at his bedside.
The health emergency disrupted family travel plans, with Babar’s wife and other relatives having departed earlier on a separate flight to Madinah. The group had intended to perform Umrah pilgrimages in both Madinah and Makkah following Babar’s recent release from prison on January 16 after 17 years’ incarceration. Medical staff cleared Babar for international travel despite his January 19 hospitalization at Dhaka’s United Hospital for chest pain, where he spent three days in the Coronary Care Unit.
This health scare marks the first major public incident involving Babar since his acquittal in all pending criminal cases. Authorities released the former minister following a Dhaka court’s dismissal of final corruption charges earlier this month, concluding legal battles that began with his 2007 arrest during the military-backed caretaker government.
Source: TBS News
