Former Dhaka mayor, BNP leader Khoka in ‘critical’ condition in New York

BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka, who has been in New York for treatment of cancer for five years, is in a “critical” condition, a leader of the party has said citing doctors.

New York Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Nov 2019, 09:48 PM
Updated : 1 Nov 2019, 09:48 PM

The doctors at Manhattan’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have “lost hope”, according to Milton Bhuiyan, a leader of the party’s unit in the US.

“His body is not responding to medicine. He is feeling pain even with artificial respiration that he was put on yesterday,” Milton told bdnews24.com from the hospital over phone on Friday afternoon.    

“The doctors have lost hope. Now everything depends on the mercy of the Almighty,” he added.  

A former Dhaka mayor, Khoka went to the US in May 2014 for treatment. He was staying at a house in Queens.

The 67-year-old was admitted to the hospital for the last time on Oct 18 after infections developed in his mouth.

A tumour was removed from his trachea on Oct 27.

His wife Ismat Hossain, sons Ishrak Hossain Ishfak Hossain and daughter Sarika Hossain, among others, are in New York now.

Khoka had travelled to the US on tourist visa with his family. He sought political asylum to continue treatment there, but the application is yet to be decided upon.

People close to him said his passport was submitted to the Bangladesh Consulate in New York for renewal.

He wishes to be buried in Bangladesh, they said.

Md Shamim Hossain, the consul and first secretary of the consulate’s passport and visa wing, told bdnews24.com there is no need for passport renewal to bring a Bangladeshi national's body back.

Khoka has been with the BNP since the beginning after parting ways with the National Awami Party.

A former president of the BNP’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit, he is known as a sport organiser as well.

He was elected MP from the Sutrapur-Kotwali seat in 1991 and 2001.

He also served as the fisheries and livestock minister in Khaleda Zia’s cabinet.

A number of corruption cases were initiated against him after he left Bangladesh and he has been sentenced to prison in some of the cases.