BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said their Chairperson Khaleda Zia wants to go to any advanced health centre as she is not given proper treatment at BSMMU in Dhaka.
"She (Khaleda) has given us a message that she wants treatment at any advanced (health) centre as she is not getting treatment now," he said on Monday.
A day after a meeting between Khaleda and her relatives at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Fakhrul came up with the remarks at a press conference at the party central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka, reports UNB.
He said the Appellate Division directed the BSMMU authorities to provide the BNP chief with advanced treatment.
"But certainly, they are failing to do so. It is now necessary to send her to an advanced centre for advanced treatment, and this is the only way-out."
The BNP leader said there is no doubt that her health condition has deteriorated further.
He said the party senior leaders sent letters many times to the Home Ministry seeking permission for meeting Khaleda to see for themselves her real condition, but the ministry did not respond to those.
File photo: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia being moved from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University to the old central jail on November 8, 2018 | Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneFakhrul said they will send another letter to the ministry requesting it to allow them to meet their chairperson.
"What we have long been saying that she has been kept in jail out of political vengeance. Now we fear she has been pushed towards death. We do not know whether it is their objective or not," he observed.
The BNP leader demanded the government immediately release Khaleda and ensure her advanced treatment.
"Or else, the government will be held responsible for any circumstances, and it must be accountable to people."
On Sunday, six members of Khaleda Zia's family met her at the BSMMU.
They included -- Khaleda's late son Arafat Rahman Koko's wife Sharmila Rahman, granddaughter Zahia Rahman, and Khaleda's sister Selima Islam.
After the meeting, Selima Islam alleged that the government is conspiring to kill her sister in jail by depriving her of bail and treatment since her condition is "deteriorating fast".
Khaleda Zia has been in jail since she was convicted in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018. She was also convicted in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case later in the same year, though her party claims both cases are politically motivated.
The BNP chief has been receiving treatment at the BSMMU since April 1, 2019.