Khaleda Zia declared a ‘Very Very Important Person’, now eligible for SSF protection

Designation opens door to state security for her amid hospitalisation

The interim administration has officially declared BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia a Very Very Important Person (VVIP), paving the way for potential state security coverage under the Special Security Force (SSF) law.

The designation, issued through a government gazette on Monday night, comes as the 79-year-old three-time former prime minister remains hospitalised in Dhaka in critical condition.

Under Section 2(a) of the Special Security Force Act, 2021, the government may assign SSF protection to individuals it identifies as VVIPs.

However, no such deployment has yet been confirmed for Khaleda.

Khaleda has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital for over a week, with her party describing her condition as “critical”.

This is not the first time Khaleda Zia has been given this status.

This is not the first time she has been given this designation. In 2008, ahead of the general election, both Khaleda and Awami League chief and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina were briefly declared VIPs by the then military-installed caretaker government.