Under the care of specialist physicians from China and the United Kingdom, BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia remains in a stable yet fragile condition. Doctors say she cannot yet be declared out of danger, and she continues to be kept under close observation in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
Senior BNP leaders, who have been regularly visiting the hospital, acknowledge the uncertainty. “Madam Khaleda Zia’s condition is still the same. The doctors are doing everything they can,” one leader said, adding that they are relying on prayers and public goodwill as her life hangs in a delicate balance.
UK specialist Dr Richard Beale, who arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday morning, joined the local and Chinese medical teams soon after landing. A senior hospital source said another specialist from China was expected to arrive at night, after which Dr Beale and the new Chinese doctor would confer with the medical board. Their collective assessment will determine whether Khaleda Zia can be moved abroad for advanced treatment.
Later on Wednesday night, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus visited Evercare Hospital to inquire about her condition. He spoke with the attending doctors and wished her recovery and long life. Earlier in the day, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Faizul Karim also visited, speaking with BNP leaders and the medical team before offering prayers for her wellbeing.
Khaleda Zia’s personal physician, AZM Zahid Hossain, said BNP has completed all necessary preparations to take her abroad. “Nothing can be done outside the advice of the medical board,” he explained. “If the board believes she should be moved after assessing her with the UK specialist, then she will be taken abroad accordingly.” A US-based doctor also joined the treatment team on Wednesday morning.
Despite this, neither the doctors nor BNP have released any fresh details on her condition. Several party leaders repeated the same message: she remains as she was, neither improving nor deteriorating.
Khaleda Zia underwent advanced treatment in London earlier this year. After nearly four months there, she returned home on 6 May. On 23 November, she was rushed to Evercare Hospital with breathing difficulties. Tests revealed a lung infection, prompting her admission. When her condition worsened, she was moved from the SDU to the CCU, where she remains under intensive monitoring.
BNP leaders say that if her condition remains unchanged, party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman may return to Bangladesh soon. His travel plans are believed to depend heavily on the advice of Khaleda Zia’s medical board. Party officials say that if she is unable to travel abroad for treatment, Tarique might decide to fly home “very soon.”
Tarique Rahman has lived in the United Kingdom since 2008, after leaving Bangladesh for medical treatment following his release from prison during the 2007–08 emergency. Since the fall of Awami League government in the student-public uprising of 5 August last year, several convictions against him have been overturned, clearing the way for his possible return. BNP leaders have repeatedly hinted that he will come back “soon,” though no confirmed date has ever been announced.
Now, as his mother battles multiple critical conditions in a hospital bed, speculation about his return has intensified. Yet party leaders concede that no one can say exactly when—or if—he will arrive.
On Wednesday afternoon, at 1:19pm, a notice from the chief adviser’s verified Facebook page informed the public that, under Special Security Force (SSF) security protocol, Army and Air Force helicopters would conduct trial landings and takeoffs on two open fields near Evercare Hospital between 12pm and 4pm on Thursday, 4 December. Citizens were urged not to be alarmed or confused by the activity.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed in front of Evercare Hospital to maintain security and manage crowds. Lt Col Altaf Hossain told reporters that two platoons were positioned—one at the hospital gate and another on patrol.
Despite repeated calls for restraint, BNP supporters continued gathering outside the hospital, prompting police to erect barricades on Monday night to control the flow. Ever since Khaleda Zia was declared a “very very Important Person,” SSF has been overseeing her protection.
