BNP observes hunger strike for Khaleda’s treatment abroad

In Naya Paltan BNP leaders and activists are observing a three-hour hunger strike with the demand of the party chief Khaleda Zia, who is in critical condition at Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital, be released immediately and sent abroad for better treatment.

Earlier the hunger strike began at 11 am on Saturday and will continue until 1 pm. It is a joint initiative of the BNP's north and south factions in the city.

Activists are sitting on a road near the BNP central office. Some of them were seen holding placards with pictures of Khaleda.

Several BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, are participating in the programme.

As Saturday is a holiday, a section of the Naya Paltan road was closed to traffic around 10:30 am. The activists arrived in processions and sat on mats in the streets.

Thousands of activists are sitting on one side of the road from Kakrail intersection to Fakirerpool. Traffic on the other side is normal.

Earlier at a press briefing on Oct 9, a medical board formed by Evercare Hospital recommended that Khaleda be swiftly transferred to a multi-disciplinary centre abroad.

 “We have reached the point where we have pretty much exhausted all of our next options for treatment. There’s not much else we can do ourselves,” said Prof FM Siddiqui.

The former prime minister was admitted to Evercare Hospital on Aug 9. Her condition has since deteriorated due to liver complications, which has led to her being taken to the Critical Care Unit several times.

On Sept 25, Khaleda’s family petitioned the home ministry to allow her to travel abroad to seek medical treatment. The law ministry turned down the application.

The 78-year-old BNP chief has been suffering from a number of health complications for a long time, including issues relating to arthritis, heart disease, her lungs, liver, kidneys and diabetes.

Khaleda, jailed for 17 years in connection with two graft cases, was released from prison through an executive order on Mar 25, 2020, that allowed her to stay at home, but barred her from travelling abroad. The government says that, according to the law, she has to return to prison before she can petition to travel abroad.