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‘Sincere gratitude’: Khaleda Zia's party after PM Modi expresses concern for her health
Khaleda Zia is reportedly unwell and was admitted to a private hospital last month as she developed chest infection which affected her heart and lungs.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expressed its sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he expressed "deep concern" over the health of former Bangladesh prime minister M Khaleda Zia.
“BNP expresses its sincere gratitude to the Honourable Prime Minister of India,@narendramodi, for his thoughtful message and kind wishes for the speedy recovery of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. BNP deeply appreciates this gesture of goodwill and the expression of readiness to extend support,” the BNP wrote on X.
On Monday, PM Modi expressed deep concern over Zia's health and said that India is ready to “extend all possible support in whatever way we can” after Zia's party leaders reportedly said that she is "extremely unwell" and that the former Bangladesh prime minister had been placed on ventilation.
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This comes at a time when Zia's arch rival, Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge in India after a coup in July 2024. The rivalry between the two former leaders of Bangladesh is also called the “Battle of Begums” and is one of the factors that shaped the politics of the South Asian country over the last few decades now.
Khaleda Zia's son likely to return from exile
Meanwhile, Zia's son Tarique Rahman, who has been living in self-exile in London for over a decade, is preparing to return home soon, a senior leader of her party has said.
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Security was also heightened around the hospital where Zia is admitted as a specialist medical team from China joined efforts to treat the ailing politician, who remains in a highly critical condition at a private hospital in Dhaka.
Security beefed up
Police erected a barricade at the main gate of Evercare Hospital around 2 am, with hospital sources saying more than two dozen personnel have been deployed to regulate patients' movement and reinforce Zia’s security, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
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The octogenarian leader of the BNP was admitted to a private hospital on November 23 after she developed a chest infection, affecting her heart and lungs. She was later shifted to the coronary care unit as her health situation worsened, according to reports.
A local news portal quoted BNP Vice-chairman Advocate Ahmed Aazam Khan as saying that Zia's condition had deteriorated and that she was put on ventilation.
"She is in a very critical condition. There is nothing more to do except seek prayers from the whole nation," he told reporters outside Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also confirmed that Zia remains in a critical condition as she continues undergoing treatment, with both local and international medical specialists looking after her health, news agency PTI reported.
"She is extremely unwell. The entire nation is praying for her recovery... She is seriously ill, and our doctors are making every possible effort. Local and foreign specialists are involved in her treatment. They are trying their best," Alamgir was quoted as saying by tbsnews.net.
(With inputs from agencies)
