BNP chief Khaleda ‘fighting for her life’, says Mirza Fakhrul

She is enduring immense suffering due to her ongoing prison sentence at a time when her life hangs in the balance, he says

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is in critical condition and fighting for her life as she continues to serve her prison sentence, according to the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

"Khaleda Zia is enduring immense suffering due to her ongoing prison sentence at a time when her life hangs in the balance. Last night, she became extremely ill, and her medical team feared she had very little time left," he said during an event at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Thursday.

Fakhrul thanked Khaleda's doctors for providing the necessary treatment to stabilise her condition.

On Wednesday, Khaleda suddenly fell ill at her Gulshan home, prompting the police to make preparations to take her to Evercare Hospital.

However, plans to move her to the hospital were eventually scrapped, and she received several hours of treatment at home under the supervision of Dr Shahabuddin Talukdar and his team. Her health showed improvement by the evening.

Khaleda's personal physician, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain, indicated that her condition remains stable as she continues to receive treatment at home.

"The medical board is closely monitoring her condition, and that is all I am able to share at this moment," he said.

Prof Zahid also asked for prayers for Khaleda's swift recovery from BNP leaders, activists, and citizens.

On Mar 13, Khaleda was briefly admitted to Evercare Hospital for a health check-up and was discharged a day later.

The 79-year-old leader has been battling a variety of health issues, including liver and kidney diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and heart conditions for an extended period. She has been hospitalised several times since her release from jail by an executive order.

While the government has stayed her prison sentence, allowing Khaleda to remain out of prison, she is barred from travelling abroad for treatment.

Consequently, she underwent a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure for her liver in a local hospital last year.

Three doctors from the US conducted the procedure, which involves the creation of new connections between two blood vessels in a patient’s liver without a surgery, at Evercare Hospital.

The government extended the term of a stay order on Khaleda's prison sentence for the eighth time on Wednesday, allowing her to remain out of jail for another six months.

However, the former prime minister will not be able to travel abroad and will have to seek medical treatment in Bangladesh.