Government is out to ‘kill’ Khaleda, BNP alleges

The BNP has accused the government of attempting to ‘kill’ Chairperson Khaleda Zia by imprisoning her and not providing ‘any medical treatment’.

“We are not only anxious but also astonished to learn the present status of our leader Khaleda Zia in jail from her family members who have visited her in jail,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in a press briefing on Friday.
 
The government is not ‘arranging any medical treatment’ for Khaleda Zia, claims Alamgir. ‘The government is out to ‘kill’ her by illegally putting her in the jail.”
 
The arch-rival of ruling Awami League also accused the government of implicating Khaleda in false cases to feed its political vengeance.
 
It will write to the home minister seeking the permission to meet Khaleda and will also urge the government to arrange proper medical treatment for the former prime minister.

The BNP chairperson has been in jail since Feb 8, following her conviction in the graft case.

Khaleda has not been released despite the bail from the High Court in the case, as she was shown arrested in other cases.    

The BNP leaders have long been demanding medical treatment for Khaleda, 73, in a private hospital.

The government had said Khaleda’s illness was ‘not serious’ enough to warrant a transfer to a hospital. She underwent a medical check-up in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital in April.

The government has set up a special court inside the jailhouse to end the hearing on the graft case as Khaleda could not appear in court for seven months due to her ‘sickness’.

Khaleda appeared in the special court in a wheelchair on Wednesday and told the court that she was not well and failed to use her left leg and left arm properly.

“You can punish me for as long as you want, but I cannot come here repeatedly in this condition,” the former prime minister said to the judge.

The BNP secretary general said, “Her family members said she was very sick. Her left leg and left arm have almost been paralysed and she is suffering from severe ache. Begum Khaleda Zia said she did not receive any medical treatment.”

“She told the ‘illegal’ court the same on Sep 5. We’re very worried about her health.”

The country's existing law does not permit the prosecution of an ill person, Alamgir said. “The way the government treats her is completely inhumane and against the constitution.”

“We have said it many times and so did the doctors that Khaleda Zia is severely ill. She should be shifted to a specialised hospital and provided with treatment to save her life.”

The government has jailed Khaleda in an ‘abandoned, secluded and damp’ room, said the BNP leader adding that even the general inmates never received such treatment in jail.

“It is evident that the government is trying to implement its blueprint to declare itself as the winner in the upcoming election by keeping Khaleda Zia out of the election.”