Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left here Saturday morning for London on a three-day official visit at the invitation of her British counterpart David Cameron to attend the Global Hunger Event.
The event will be held in the British capital at the close of the London Olympic Games on August 12.
A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and the members of her entourage took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 10:08 am (local time)
The flight is scheduled to reach Heathrow Airport in London at 3.30 pm (London time) today.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Planning Minister Air Vice-Marshal (retd) AK Khandakar, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruq Khan, PM's Adviser HT Imam, Chief whip Abdus Shahid and Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif were present at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to see off Sheikh Hasina.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Sheikh Md Wahid Uz Zaman, chiefs of the Bangladesh Army and Navy, representative of Bangladesh Air Force, the dean of the diplomatic crops and the British High Commissioner in Dhaka were also present.
After a warm reception at the Heathrow Airport, the Prime Minister will straight drive to Hotel St. Pancras Renaissance, where she will be staying during her three-day official visit to London.
Apart from attending the Global Hunger Event, Sheikh Hasina would also join the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, while British Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell will call on her.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad, among others, would accompany the Prime Minister during her visit to London.
On August 12, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer will challenge global leaders to step up efforts to improve nutrition and reduce the rate of stunting among the world's poorest children between now and the next Olympics in 2016.
The Global Hunger Event will help to strengthen these commitments by identifying pioneering new ways of working to tackle malnutrition and bringing in new champions to support the global movement.
Britain hopes this event on the closing day of Olympics will mean that London 2012 has a lasting legacy for millions more children around the world by improving their nutrition and giving them the opportunity to fulfill their potential too.
The Prime Minister is expected to return home in the morning on August 14.
BBN/SSR/AD-11Aug12-12:40 pm (BST)
