Khaleda Zia will be taken abroad for treatment once her condition stabilises: Fazle Elahi

Arrangements will be made to take BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment once her health condition becomes stable.

Her security adviser, Major General (Retd.) Fazle Elahi Akbar said this today, Saturday.

He shared the information in response to questions from journalists after coming out of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon.

Stating that Khaleda Zia’s physical condition is 'a little better than before', Fazle Elahi Akbar said, “Once she becomes stable, arrangements will certainly be made to take her abroad. She is not yet in a condition to be taken.”

Earlier, Mahdi Amin, adviser to BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, said that the family plans to take Khaleda Zia to London as soon as there is slight improvement in her health. The Qatar Embassy is being contacted regarding an air ambulance.

BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath caused by a lung infection. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia. Along with that, she has long-standing issues related to her kidneys, liver, arthritis, and diabetes. As a result, the situation is such that treating one condition may have adverse effects on another.

Khaleda Zia was admitted to the hospital last Sunday. She had experienced severe breathing difficulties that day. She was quickly taken to Evercare Hospital, where immediate tests were conducted and treatment began. As her condition worsened, she was shifted from the cabin to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) two days ago. She is currently receiving treatment under the supervision of a medical board consisting of local and foreign specialists.

Yesterday, after Friday prayers, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir joined a special prayer at the Naya Paltan Central Jame Mosque for Khaleda Zia. There, he stated that her condition was extremely critical.

During the tenure of the Awami League government—ousted in the July mass uprising—Khaleda Zia was sentenced in two cases. She spent more than two years in prison. On 25 March 2020, the then government suspended her sentence through an executive order and released her conditionally. Thereafter, the suspension of her sentence and the extension of her release continued every six months following applications from her family, although she was not permitted to go abroad for treatment.

After the fall of the Awami League government in the mass uprising, Khaleda Zia was freed. On 8 January, she traveled to the United Kingdom for treatment. She returned to the country on 6 May, four months later.