World News | Khaleda Zia's Family Urges Govt to Allow Ailing Ex-premier to Go Abroad for Treatment

Dhaka, Nov 15 (PTI) Bangladesh's former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's family on Monday submitted an application to the government, seeking permission to take her abroad for advanced medical treatment.

The 76-year-old chief of main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who is serving a 17-year jail term in two graft cases since February 2018, has been suffering for some time from arthritis, diabetes, kidney issues, lung ailments and eye problems.

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Zia's younger sister Selima Islam said that the family has submitted the petition at the home ministry, seeking the permission to take her abroad.

"We are urging the government to allow her to go abroad for treatment,” Selima told reporters. "Her (Zia) condition is very bad."

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Zia's elder son and acting BNP chief Tarique Rahman, who has been declared a "fugitive" by a Dhaka court, is in London.

Selima said that doctors advised that Zia needed better treatment abroad. Currently, Zia is admitted at the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the Evercare Hospital where she was rushed on November 13 after her condition deteriorated.

Zia was readmitted to the hospital less than a week after she returned home on November 7 following a 26-day stay at the Evercare Hospital.

Zia's personal physician Zahid Hossain said that doctors kept her at the CCU due to uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes and fever.

"Doctors now see no options other than advising her to go abroad for treatment,” Hossain said.

Zia was temporarily released from prison in March 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the suspension of Zia's prison sentence has been extended by six months thrice. It was last extended in September.

She contracted the COVID-19 virus in early April. As per the doctors, she has been facing post-Covid complications.

In May, Zia's younger brother Shamim Eskandar met the home minister to seek permission for her treatment abroad. The application was forwarded to the Law Ministry.

The government, however, rejected her petition to go abroad on a medical visit, saying "there is no judicial provision that permits a jailed convict to go abroad for treatment".

In July, Law Minister Anisul Haq said in Parliament that Zia must confess her wrongdoings and apologise to the President if she wants to go abroad for treatment.

The BNP, however, maintained that she had no reason to do so as she was innocent.

Zia was sent to jail by a local court on charges of embezzling foreign donations meant for an orphanage, named after her slain husband and president Ziaur Rehman, during her premiership between 2001 and 2006.

Rehman, a military ruler-turned-politician, was the founder of the BNP.

Zia's party claims both cases against her are politically motivated.

Zia has served thrice as the premier of Bangladesh since 1991. Her party suffered a miserable defeat in the 2018 elections bagging only six seats in the 300-seat parliament.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)