Post by : Rameen Ariff

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus visited former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Wednesday, as she continues to battle critical health issues. During his nearly half-hour visit, Yunus urged Zia's family, party leaders, and supporters to remain patient while her treatment continues. According to a statement from his press wing, Yunus was briefed by the head of the medical board overseeing Zia's care, who confirmed that experts from two major US hospitals, along with physicians from Britain, China, and other countries, are closely monitoring her condition. Yunus also assured full government support for her treatment.

Zia has been hospitalized since November 23 with multiple health complications and was moved to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital on November 27 when her condition worsened. Despite regular updates from her personal doctor, AZM Zahid Hossain, who is also a BNP Standing Committee member, no concrete information on her current health has been publicly released. Hossain noted earlier that Zia is responding to the treatment provided by doctors.

The visit by Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser follows high-profile visits by the country’s armed forces chiefs, including General Waker uz Zaman, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood, who visited Zia at the hospital in recent days. Alongside her medical team, several family members, including her younger brother Shamim Iskandar and other close relatives, remain at the hospital during her treatment.

Zia’s elder son and BNP’s self-exiled acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who resides in London, has been overseeing her treatment from abroad. In a recent social media post, he expressed his longing for his mother during this critical period while highlighting the limitations he faces in making direct decisions regarding her care due to legal and political sensitivities. Rahman has lived in London since 2008, following convictions in multiple graft and criminal cases, which were later withdrawn or overturned by Bangladesh courts. Authorities have confirmed there are no restrictions preventing his return and assured security arrangements for his visit, though no travel document request has yet been submitted.

International attention has also focused on Zia’s health, with Chinese President Xi Jinping sending a second team of medical experts to support her treatment, hours after a group of British doctors arrived in Dhaka. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over her condition and offered full support, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif conveyed his prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery.

Khaleda Zia remains under intensive care, with continuous monitoring by international and local medical teams, as Bangladesh and neighboring countries watch closely amid concerns over the health of one of the nation’s most influential political leaders.

#Global News