The Sheikh Hasina government has not yet given consent to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia to leave the country for treatment even as her family started preparations to fly her out.
According to Dhaka Tribune, Law Minister Anisul Huq said that a “decision has yet to be taken on the appeal” by Zia’s family. The former Prime Minister’s family has sought the Hasina government’s permission to fly her to London for better treatment.
Zia had tested Covid 19 positive on April 10. After nearly four weeks, she was finally declared Covid free.
Zia’s personal doctors have insisted on sending her abroad for better treatment.
One of the members of Zia’s personal medical team, Dr Abdullah Al Mamun has said that while Zia’s condition is stable, it could deteriorate anytime due to her other health problems.
“Post-Covid-19 complications sometimes go into different directions. She is an elderly person with many underlying health complications … that is why most people in our country want her to receive treatment at an advanced hospital,” DT quoted BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as saying.
Meanwhile another report published by the Daily Star said that Zia’s family members received “a positive signal" from the UK government regarding her treatment in a London hospital.
The newspaper quoted sources saying that Zia’s health condition is showing no signs of improvement.
The 75 year old former Prime Minister, who is currently admitted in a hospital, was shifted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) after she complained of breathlessness. The leader had tested Covid positive on April 10.
In March, the Bangladesh government approved the proposal of suspending Zia's prison sentences in two graft cases for six more months amid the outbreak of the pandemic and her health conditions.
With the court verdict, uncertainty over Zia’s political career rose “as the country’s constitution prohibits a convicted person sentenced to over two years from participating,” Al Jazeera had earlier said in a report.
