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[🇧🇩] Monitoring Khaleda Zia's political and health issues

G Bangladesh Defense
[🇧🇩] Monitoring Khaleda Zia's political and health issues
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BNP’s Alal demands return of Khaleda’s cantonment house
UNB
Published :
Nov 22, 2024 20:30
Updated :
Nov 22, 2024 20:30

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BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal on Friday demanded that the government return the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s house on Shaheed Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment, which was taken back by the Awami League regime.

Speaking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, he also said BNP has confidence in the newly formed Election Commission, reports UNB.

“Khaleda Zia was forcibly ousted from her residence at Main Road in just a single dress, even before the case concerning the matter was resolved. The government should take steps to help her heal from the trauma associated with that house,” the BNP leader said.

Stating that the BNP chief was unfairly evicted from her cantonment house, he urged the government to take steps to ensure justice for her.

As the wife of a former Army Chief, Alal said it was natural for Khaleda to attend the Armed Forces Day reception in the cantonment, but she was unable to do so for nearly a decade.

“The expression of Khaleda Zia that we witnessed at Senakunja was like a bird that had been chained for years and was finally set free,” he observed.

Khaleda Zia attended the Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja on Friday, after 11 years.

Alal, along with leaders and workers of Jatiyatabadi Prochar Dal, paid homage to late President Ziaur Rahman by placing a wreath at his grave in the capital, marking the 13th founding anniversary of the organisation.

On April 8, 2009, the Awami League government cancelled the allotment of Khaleda Zia’s Shaheed Mainul Road house in Dhaka Cantonment, citing several irregularities in the allotment within the military zone.

Subsequently, on November 13, 2010, she was evicted from the house where she had lived for 38 years, since her husband Ziaur Rahman served as deputy chief of the army. After Zia’s assassination in 1981, then Army Chief HM Ershad allocated the 2.72-acre property to her at a token price.

Asked for his comment on the formation of the new Election Commission (EC), Alal said BNP want to place its trust in the newly formed Commission. “We hope the Commission will demonstrate its competence through its actions, rather than engaging in excessive rhetoric.”

He also stated that the formation of the new EC marks the beginning of the electoral process. “We expect the reform work initiated by the government will be completed swiftly to facilitate the holding of the national election.”​
 

Khaleda Zia acquitted in two cases
Staff Correspondent 27 November, 2024, 16:40

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Khaleda Zia | BSS photo

Former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was acquitted in two cases related to the Barapukuria coalmine and the Zia Charitable Trust on Wednesday.

The High Court acquittal overturned a lower court verdict that sentenced her to seven years in prison in 2018.

The rulings marked a crucial legal victory for the veteran politician, who has faced numerous cases over the years.

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain also released her late political secretary Harris Chowdhury, and Monirul Islam, former private secretary to Dhaka’s ex-mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the Zia Charitable Trust case in 2011, alleging embezzlement of trust funds.

However, the High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of Khaleda’s appeal, which argued that the charges were politically motivated.

Khaleda’s sentence in the case had been remitted by a presidential order following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government and her subsequent fleeing to India facing a student-led uprising on August 5.

In a separate decision, Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 acquitted Khaleda and two former cabinet members, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, in the Barapukuria coalmine graft case.

Filed by the ACC in 2008, the case accused 16 individuals of misusing power to award a contract to a Chinese company, allegedly causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the state.

Despite clearing Khaleda and her colleagues, the court framed charges against four other accused, paving the way for the trial to proceed.

Khaleda’s legal team hailed the decisions as a significant step toward justice.

Her senior counsel Zainul Abedin argued before the High Court that Khaleda had sought a legal resolution, refusing to rely on administrative relief.

He emphasised that the cases against her were part of a broader pattern of politically motivated charges.

Khaleda, who has faced a total of 37 cases, has now been cleared in at least 20 of them, according to her lawyer Zoynal Abedin Meshbah.

Five of the cases, including the Barapukuria and Zia Charitable Trust cases, were filed during the military-backed caretaker government with proceedings continuing under the Awami League government.

Despite Wednesday’s rulings, Khaleda’s legal battles are far from over.

Her appeal against a ten-year sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust case remains pending with the Appellate Division.

The ACC had initially sought an increase in her sentence, which the High Court granted in 2018, raising it from five to ten years.

Another high-profile case involving Niko Resources, filed during the caretaker government, also remains pending at Dhaka Special Judge’s Court.

In March 2020, amid the Covid pandemic, the Awami League government granted Khaleda temporary release from prison under an executive order on conditions.

The conditional release has been extended multiple times to keep her out of jail considering her health condition.​
 

Chinese envoy meets BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
UNB
Published :
Dec 04, 2024 21:43
Updated :
Dec 04, 2024 21:43

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Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Wednesday evening.

The one-hour and 20-minute meeting, which began around 7:30 pm, was held at Khaleda Zia’s residence in the city’s Gulshan area, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

The Chinese ambassador exchanged greetings with Khaleda Zia and inquired about her health.

During the meeting, Yao Wen presented a traditional Chinese wall banner to the BNP chairperson.

BNP Standing Committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain and Vice Chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury were also present.​
 

Khaleda Zia to attend public rally after 7 yrs
Special Correspondent
Dhaka
Updated: 15 Dec 2024, 16: 19

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BNP chairperson Khaleda ZiaFile photo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia will attend a rally of the Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal as the chief guest on 21 December. With this, she’s going to join a political programme for the first time in seven years.

Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal president Istiaq Aziz Ulfat told Prothom Alo today, Sunday, that he along with BNP standing committee member Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed met with party chairperson Khaleda Zia Saturday night.

He said that they invited the BNP chairperson to attend the rally of the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal as the chief guest.

Istiaq Aziz Ulfat mentioned that former prime minister Khaleda Zia has accepted their invitation and promised to attend the rally in person. Acting chairperson of BNP, Tarique Rahman will also join the rally virtually from London.

The rally is being organised at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city at 2:00 pm on 21 December.

BNP along with its associated and affiliated organisations is holding different programmes on the occasion of the victory day. The Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal is organising that rally as part of the programmes.

Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat further stated that the freedom fighters will be coming to Dhaka from all over the country and join the rally on 21 December.

The last time BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had addressed a rally of her party was on 12 November 2017 at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Later, she was arrested on 8 February 2018.

Khaleda Zia was sentenced to imprisonment in two cases of corruption under the rule of the then government of Bangladesh Awami League. She was in prison for more than two years.

Then on 25 March 2020, the government suspended her sentence to free her on conditions through an executive order. Since then the government had been extending the suspension on her sentence every six months based on appeals.

After ruling for 15 and a half years at a stretch, the AL government fell in the face of a mass uprising led by students on 5 August. Khaleda Zia was freed with a presidential order the very next day on 6 August.

Regarding her release, a press release sent from the Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, stated that Khaleda Zia has been freed following a meeting of President Mohammed Shahabuddin with chiefs of three services, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society and leaders of Students Against Discrimination movement.

Khaleda Zia then attended a reception at Senakunja on the occasion of the Armed Forces day on 21 November after more than a decade. Now after seven years, she’s going to attend a political programme, a rally organised by the Jatiotabadi Muktijoddha Dal on 21 December.

Speaking about this, BNP chairperson’s media wing official Shamsuddin Didar told Prothom Alo, “With the rally of freedom fighters, Khaleda Zia is joining a public rally or a political programme in a free environment after seven long years.”​
 

Khaleda going to UK early January
Staff Correspondent 25 December, 2024, 17:40

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UNB file photo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia is likely to travel to London in the first half of January for advanced treatment.

‘Preparations are underway to take her to the United Kingdom in the first half of January, if she remains fit for the air journey,’ said her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain.

However, any specific date for the travel is yet to be set, said Zahid, also a standing committee member of the BNP.

BNP leaders said that Khaleda Zia would first go to London in the UK, where her eldest son and the party acting chairperson, Tarique Rahman, along with his family has been living since 2008.

After staying there for a few days, she will travel to the United States for treatment of her liver complications, they said.

They also said that all preparations had been made for the BNP chairperson’s treatment at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in East Baltimore, Maryland in the US.

She has already obtained visas for the UK and the US, they said.

A 15-member delegation which includes Khaled’s late son Arafat Rahman’s wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman, some physicians and BNP leaders, her personal secretary and two housemaids will accompany her during her London trip.

Khaleda’s office has already informed the foreign affairs ministry about her treatment abroad, including details of her entourage members.

Earlier, in October 2023, three US specialist doctors completed the hepatic procedure, known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, to stop water accretion in Khaleda’s stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.

Her doctors have been recommending sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021.

The 79-year-old former prime minister is suffering from various complications, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, lung disease, arthritis, kidney disease and diabetes.

She had to undergo long-term treatment through a medical board coordinated by specialist doctors, including being kept in the ICU at various times at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.

Khaleda Zia was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail on February 8, 2018, after a special judge court sentenced her to five years in imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

But in October of that year, the sentence was increased to 10 years after an appeal hearing in the High Court.

Later, the BNP chief was also sentenced to another seven years in jail in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Amid the Covid outbreak, the then government temporarily freed Khaleda from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020 on conditions that she would stay in her Gulshan house and not leave the country.

On March 25 of that year, Khaleda returned to her Gulshan house after being temporarily released.

Since then, Sheikh Hasina’s government which was ousted on August 5 amid a mass uprising had been extending her release every six months at the request of her family.

After her temporary release, she had to be hospitalised with critical condition for several times for treatment.

Although, Khaleda’s family had applied several times to send her abroad, Sheikh Hasina’s government had repeatedly rejected it.

A day after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, Khaleda was completely freed by an order issued by president Mohammed Shahabuddin.

The BNP chief returned to her Gulshan residence on August 21 after undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital for a month.

Khaleda Zia was also suddenly admitted to Evercare Hospital on the night of September 12. Later, she returned home after six days of treatment.​
 

No bar for Khaleda to participate in next election
Says attorney general

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There is no legal bar for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to participate in the next general election, said Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman yesterday.

"The false cases filed against Khaleda Zia have already been settled," he said.

The attorney general was speaking at a shadow parliament organised by Debate for Democracy at the FDC in the capital.

"If convicted of killing in July, many Awami League leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, would be ineligible to participate in the election," he said.

AL's participation is not crucial to make elections inclusive, he added.

"Those who destroyed the election process, tore the constitution apart, and violated people's rights have been identified as the villains of history."

The attorney general also said the martyrs of the July uprising will forever be remembered as great heroes.

This revolution was driven by the spirit of the Liberation War and the determination to build a Bangladesh free from discrimination.

"Efforts are being made to undermine the achievements of this revolution, but no conspirator will succeed."

Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said former chief justice Khairul Haque had annulled the caretaker government process with the malicious intention of keeping the previous fascist Awami League government in power indefinitely.

"The fallen Awami League government deprived the people of their right to vote. The Awami League has completely destroyed the electoral process through fraudulent, one-sided, and midnight elections," he said.

In the last three elections, the Election Commission, administration, police, returning officers, and polling officers and others were guilty of fraud, he added.

"All those who committed these electoral crimes must be brought to justice."

Kiron made 10 recommendations to ensure future elections are fair and acceptable.

These include taking initiatives to bring to justice all those involved in electoral crimes, including members of the Election Commission; implementing strict legal provisions to prevent corrupt individuals from participating in elections; repealing all laws that may hinder the media from freely reporting on elections; and ensuring that the EC is independent.​
 

Khaleda will fly to London for treatment tomorrow
Says Fakhrul after top BNP leaders meet her

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said party Chairperson Khaleda Zia would fly to London tomorrow night for treatment.

He told reporters after BNP Standing Committee members met the party chief at her Gulshan residence last night.

The meeting was attended by Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and AZM Zahid Hossain.

In another development, LDP President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram visited Khaleda at her residence in the evening.

During the meeting, he inquired about her health, said Oli Ahmed's Press Secretary Salah Uddin Razzak.The 79-year-old former prime minister has been battling multiple health complications, including arthritis, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, and kidney ailments, and requires specialised care unavailable in Bangladesh, according to her doctors.

According to the party sources, Khaleda is expected to stay with her son, Tarique Rahman, in London before heading to the US for treatment of her ongoing liver complications.​
 
চিকিৎসার জন্য মঙ্গলবার রাতে লন্ডন যাচ্ছেন খালেদা জিয়া: ফখরুল

 

Khaleda to leave Dhaka today for treatment in London
Staff Correspondent 06 January, 2025, 15:05

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Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia. | File photo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia is scheduled for today to leave Dhaka for London for medical treatment.

She would be admitted to the London Clinic in the United Kingdom for advanced treatment, BNP standing committee member AZM Zahid Hossain said at a briefing at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Monday.

‘After completing all the necessary formalities, the BNP chairperson is scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:00pm on Tuesday on a special air ambulance provided by the emir of Qatar, with the planned route, including stops in Doha and London’s Heathrow International Airport,’ he said.

Khaleda would be taken to London Clinic directly from Heathrow International Airport and she would be undergoing treatment at the hospital, Zahid, also the personal physician of the BNP chairperson.

He said that Qatar emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani provided the special aircraft of the royal fleet to Khaleda after learning about the illness of the BNP chairperson.

The special air ambulance will have four doctors and paramedics from Qatar onboard while six members of Khaleda’s medical board from Dhaka will accompany her on the flight.

The medical team includes Shahabuddin Talukder, FM Siddique, Naruddin Ahmed, Zafar Iqbal, AZM Zahid Hossain and Mohammad Al Mamun.

Besides, Khaleda is accompanied by her late son Aarafat Rahman’s wife Sharmila Rahman Shithi, BNP chairperson’s advisory council member Enamul Haque Chowdhury, BNP executive committee member Tabith Awal and her private secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, along with a few personal staff, Zahid said.

Khaleda, 79, has long been suffering from several health complications, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease and kidney problems.

‘The patient, currently under treatment for multiple ailments, is being taken to the London Clinic, a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary centre, where doctors will evaluate his condition and decide the next course of action,’ Zahid said.

If the London Clinic recommends, Khaleda may need to be taken to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in the United States, he said in response to a question.

‘The London Clinic will determine the next course of treatment,’ he said.

He said that the BNP chairperson had the desire to perform Umrah as a way of expressing gratitude after all the torture and hardship, but it had not been pre-decided and would depend on the circumstances.​
 

Khaleda Zia to be admitted to London Clinic, says personal physician
Special Correspondent
Dhaka
Updated: 06 Jan 2025, 18: 30

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BNP chairperson Khaleda ZiaFile Photo

Khaleda Zia is to be admitted to "London Clinic" in the UK for advanced medical treatment. She is to leave Dhaka for the UK tomorrow (Tuesday) night and will be admitted to the clinic when she reaches London the next day.

The BNP chairperson's personal physician and the party's standing committee member AZM Zahid Hossain informed the media of the matter at a press briefing held today, Monday.

AZM Zahid said, all formalities will be cleared and madam will depart for London via Doha from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:00 tomorrow night by a special air ambulance of the Qatar Emir. When the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani learned about the illness of Bangladesh's former prime minister, he provided a special aircraft from the royal fleet.

Zahid Hossain said, the special air ambulance of the Amir of Qatar will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Madam will leave for London by this aircraft tomorrow night.

He further said, four physicians of Qatar and paramedics will be on the special flight. Six members of Khaleda Zia's medical board will travel by this flight from Dhaka. They are Professor Shahabuddin Talukdar, Professor FM Siddique, Professor Nuruddin Ahmed, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain and Dr Mohammad Al Mamun.

Also on the flight will be Khaleda Zia's daughter-in-law Syeda Shamil Rahman (wife of her younger son), member of the chairperson's advisor council Enamul Huq Chowdhury, executive committee member Tabith Awal and Khaleda Zia's personal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and a few other officials and employees.

The 79-year-old Khaleda Zia has long been suffering from liver cirrhosis, heart disease, kidney problems and other health conditions.

Prayers sought

Dr Zahid Hossain told the media, "We want to thank everyone through you for their prayers for Madam's health. People of various faith prayed for her and we express our gratitude and thanks to all. Madam thanks everyone, the party thanks everyone and our acting chairman Tarique Rahman thanks everyone."

Treatment at hospital in London

Dr Zahid said, "As we said, Madam has various physical ailments. Above all, her liver condition, that is, liver cirrhosis, called compensatory liver disease grade 2, is being treated with TIPS. There are certain technical aspects to TIPS, there is need for adjustment. After stenting in her heart, it needs to be checked if it is working well or if she needs re-stenting. We couldn't carry these things out."

Dr Zahid Hossain said, "There is need to address the other blocks she has, her chronic kidney disease needs to be checked. She faced certain post-Covid complications that need to be addressed. This is for a thorough overall checking which was done here. Our physicians, the Evercare Hospital staff are the best.... Madam, the acting chairman Tarique Rahman, the family have no dissatisfaction in this regard. Everyone is happy, we are happy also, the party is happy. She is being taken abroad for advanced medical treatment and thorough checking."

Professor Zahid said in reply to a question, "If they (London Clinic) says she needs further treatment which they don't have and needs to be taken to Johns Hopkins University Hospital, then that will be looked into."

When asked if she will go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, he said, "If she is well on her way back... but that is up to Allah. If Allah so wills, definitely Madam will do perform Umrah, but that is not pre-decided."​
 

Khaleda departs for London

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Photo: BNP Media Cell

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia departed Dhaka for advanced medical treatment in London tonight.

The air ambulance ferrying the former prime minister departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:47pm.

Earlier, her motorcade arrived at the airport at 10:51pm.

At the airport's VIP lounge, BNP standing committee members had gathered to greet their party chief and wish her safe travels.


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Photo: Courtesy/BNP Media Cell

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Khaleda was jailed for six years on fabricated cases under the Awami League government's oppression.

"During her imprisonment, she fell critically ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. We repeatedly urged Sheikh Hasina to allow her to seek medical treatment abroad, but the fascist Hasina ignored our requests," Fakhrul told journalists at the airport.

"After the student and public uprising forced Hasina to flee, Khaleda Zia was released and travelled to London for medical treatment," he said.

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Photo: Dipu Malakar

"She prays for the well-being of the people and the establishment of democracy," Fakhrul added.

The 79-year-old politician left her Gulshan residence, "Firoza," for the airport at 8:12pm.

The plane, sent by the emir of Qatar, was scheduled to depart at 10:00pm.

To see her off, a large number of BNP activists and supporters gathered along the roads in Gulshan, Kakoli, and near the airport.

Many people also gathered at her residence in the evening, hoping to see her once before her departure to London.

After landing in London, she is expected to be admitted to a London clinic.

After initial treatment, she may travel to the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, USA, for further medical care, according to party insiders.​
 

Khaleda Zia admitted to London Clinic

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Photo: BNP Media Cell

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was admitted to the London Clinic, a health facility, today under the supervision of Patrick Kennedy, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist.

This was confirmed by Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP's media cell, citing Zahid Hossain, Khaleda's personal physician and a member of the party's Standing Committee.

P Kennedy, a globally recognised expert in liver diseases, is renowned for his groundbreaking work on viral liver conditions. He specialises in treating complex liver-related ailments, earning him international acclaim.​
 

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