The family of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has sought permission from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take her abroad for treatment.
An application was filed in mid-April, Bangla Tribune reported on Monday citing senior party leaders.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir discussed the matter with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday, it said.
Khaleda Zia, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
She was shifted to Coronary Care Unit (CCU) on Monday after experiencing shortness of breath.
The party sources said Khaleda Zia's family wants to take her abroad for better treatment as her physical condition deteriorated.
However, the party could not confirm in which country she might be taken to.
Bangla Tribune tried to reach Mirza Fakhrul, Khaleda's sister Selima Rahman, her brother Shamim Eskandar, and some top BNP leaders for their comments, but could not.
When contacted, BNP chairperson's media wing member Shayrul Kabir Khan said he is unaware of the matter.
Also Read - Khaleda Zia shifted to CCU due to breathing problem
During a media briefing on Monday evening, the former prime minister's personal physician Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said she started feeling shortness of breath early in the morning.
"As she became more uncomfortable during the day, she was moved to the CCU."
Her shortness of breath was caused by excess fluid accumulating in her lungs, according to sources.
Dr Zahid said Khaleda Zia was going through more tests to determine what caused her breathing issue.
"After we receive the test results, her medical board as well as doctors abroad will review them to see if there is an infection in her lungs."
He further said Khaleda was stable at the moment. "She is able to speak as well. She spoke with her doctor this evening too," he added.
Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health check-up.
She tested positive for Covid-19 on April 10 when eight people of her Gulshan residence were found to be infected with the virus.
She underwent a second Covid-19 test on April 24, and tested positive again. Her blood report and CT scan results were normal.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences in a corruption case on March 25 last year.
She was released from the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) the same day. She has been staying at her Gulshan house since then.
On August 27 last year, the government extended her release for six more months and it was extended again for six months on March 15 this year.
On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a lower court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term.