BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has spent her 14th Eid in a single room this year. She has been spending her Eid in confinement for the last six years, since being imprisoned on February 8, 2018.
On Monday, she spent the day in her room at her Gulshan-2 residence, Firoza. She met with senior party leaders and spent time with relatives and children.
Party leaders reported that Khaleda Zia's health is not very good.
On Eid day, while senior leaders conveyed Eid greetings on her behalf, they also prayed for her recovery. On Monday night, some members of the BNP standing committee visited her.
Standing committee member Mirza Abbas said: "The national leader Begum Khaleda Zia is unwell. She is under close observation by doctors."
Multiple responsible sources at the Chairperson's office revealed that there is nothing special about Eid days for Begum Zia anymore. Since 2018, she has been confined to a single room.
On Monday, she had food cooked by her regular household chef and spent time with her nephew, close family members, and children, all within the confines of one room. She usually converses with senior leaders who visit her at home and occasionally responds to greetings.
A reliable source mentioned that the same family of chefs has been cooking for Khaleda Zia's family for the past 50 years, since her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, was the deputy chief of army staff.
A close family source said that Khaleda Zia particularly enjoys talking with children, chatting with them openly. She likes to tell stories to her nephews and her son's grandchildren.
In an interview with this reporter, a high-ranking party member of BNP said: “In her personal life, Khaleda Zia is quick-tempered, sociable, calm, and devoted to her family. However, BNP leaders have not managed to translate these personal traits into political vision. There is no reflection of these behaviours in the party's actions, and party members remain distant from these aspects.”
14th Eid in one room confinement
Reviewing the timeline, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on February 8, 2018, after being convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
Following the court order, she was taken to the abandoned old central jail on Nazim Uddin Road in Old Dhaka.
She spent both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha that year in the abandoned jail. Although party leaders did not get a chance to meet her during the first Eid in the old jail, about 20 family members visited her with food and flowers.
In 2019, she celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital while still in confinement, staying in a single room.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Khaleda Zia was released on conditional bail on March 25, 2020.
The government's executive order stipulated that she would stay at her residence and receive medical treatment in Dhaka.
Consequently, she spent both Eid celebrations of that year in her rented residence, Firoza, adhering to the conditions.
BNP Chairperson's media wing member Shairul Kabir Khan said: “She became ill after going to prison. She returned home with an ailing body when she was released. Therefore, although she returned home, her treatment has been ongoing. Her house is also being used as a mini hospital.”
In 2021, Khaleda Zia shuttled between her home and the hospital. She spent Eid-ul-Fitr in a cabin at Evercare Hospital, where she was receiving treatment. She spent Eid-ul-Azha at Firoza that year.
She celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha in 2022, 2023, and the current year at Firoza as well.
A source from Firoza said that Begum Zia is still undergoing medical treatment, with doctors visiting her every night.
Shairul Kabir Khan said: “Since the 1990s, Iftar politics has been a continuous practice throughout Ramadan, culminating on Eid day. On this day, political leaders used to visit their constituencies, greet grassroots leaders and supporters after Eid prayers, and listen to their joys and sorrows. Begum Zia used to give Eid greetings, but this stopped due to the pandemic.”
On May 1, Khaleda Zia went to Evercare Hospital and returned home on May 2.
During the military-backed caretaker government of Moeen U Ahmed and Fakhruddin Ahmed, Khaleda Zia spent two Eids in confinement in the parliament area as well.
