Khaleda on her deathbed for lack of advanced treatment: Fakhrul
UNB
Publish: 23 Jun 2024, 10:52 PM
Dhaka,
Jun 23 (UNB) - BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday
lamented that their party Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now on her deathbed for
lack of necessary advanced treatment abroad.
Speaking at a doa and
milad mahfil, he also accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of intentionally
depriving Khaleda of advanced medical treatment overseas out of personal
political vendetta, with the intention of leading to her death.
"It's our
misfortune that our leader Khaleda Zia is now in critical condition on her
deathbed without receiving any (necessary) medical treatment (abroad),"
the BNP leader said.
He alleged that the BNP
chief has been imprisoned for a long period due to the vindictiveness of the
current "oppressive fascist" government.
"In completely
fabricated cases, she has been imprisoned with the intention to remove her from
politics. Although she was allowed to stay at home, she is actually under
complete confinement and remains imprisoned," Fakhrul said.
He said Khaleda fell ill
while staying in Old Dhaka Central Jail, but no medical treatment was provided
to her there.
"She complained
repeatedly, but the government did not pay heed and did not provide her with
medical care. Later, when she was taken to the hospital (by the jail
authorities), she did not receive any proper treatment there either," the
BNP leader said.
He said the government
had granted Khaleda permission to stay at her residence in Gulshan, with the
stipulation that she could not leave the country and must receive treatment
locally.
"The medical board
at Evercare Hospital has consistently stated that treating Madam's (Khaleda's)
illness here in Bangladesh is not possible. To address her various problems,
she requires treatment at a multidisciplinary hospital in a developed country,"
Fakhrul said.
He also said their
party, Khaleda's family, civil society members, foreign missions, the EU, and
international organisations have consistently appealed to the government to
authorise her treatment at a specialised medical facility abroad.
"But Sheikh Hasina
out of her personal political vendetta has denied Khaleda access to better
medical treatment in order to kill her and to remove her from politics,"
alleged the BNP leader.
Describing the BNP
chairperson's physical condition as 'alarming,' he said Khaleda Zia is enduring
great suffering. "She now stands at the crossroads of life and
death."
Fakhrul urged opposition
leaders and workers to wholeheartedly pray for Khaleda's well-being and her
speedy recovery. "Not only must we pray for her, but we must also do
whatever we can for her proper treatment."
He recalled that Khaleda
led the nation in the movement to restore democracy, eliminating autocracy, and
strengthened democracy in this country by introducing parliamentary democracy.
"She ensured the
voting rights of the people by incorporating the caretaker government system in
the constitution. She worked for the economic emancipation of the people.
That's why foreign newspapers used to brand Bangladesh as an emerging
tiger," the BNP leader said.
In an emotion-choked
voice, Fakhrul appealed to the party leaders and workers to pray to Almighty
Allah for Khaleda's swift recovery and return among them, to lead the nation in
defeating the current government. "Let us pray to Allah for His grace and
blessings so that we can stand on our own feet."
As part of the party's
countrywide programme, BNP arranged a doa and milad mahfil at its Nayapaltan
central office.
BNP's Standing Committee
members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru
Mahmud Chowdhury, Vice-Chairmen Abdul Awal Mintoo, Shamsuzzaman Dudu,
Asaduzzaman Ripon, Chairperson's Advisory Council Member Syed Moazzem Hossain
Alal, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Joint Secretaries
General Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anne, Syed Emran Saleh Prince, and Abdus Salam
Azad, among others, were present.
Earlier on Saturday
night, the party announced that its all city and district units would arrange
prayers like doa and milad mahfil on Sunday, seeking divine blessings for
Khaleda's speedy healing.
Khaleda Zia was rushed
to Evercare Hospital in an ambulance at around 3:30 am on Saturday as she
suddenly fell ill at her residence, 'Firoza' in Gulshan. She was quickly
admitted to the CCU, where her medical treatment began under the supervision of
a medical board.
The former prime
minister, aged 79, has long been battling various ailments, including liver
cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart,
and eyes.
Since her conditional
release from prison in 2020, the BNP chief has been receiving medical care
frequently at the hospital under the supervision of a medical board headed by
cardiologist Prof. Shahabuddin Talukder.
Khaleda's doctors have
been advising sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis
in November 2021.
On October 26 last year,
three US specialist doctors completed a hepatic procedure known as the
transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water
accumulation in Khaleda's stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.
END/UNB/ARJ/F