Accusing the government of pushing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia toward death, party senior leader Mirza Abbas said on Sunday that history will testify how a former prime minister is ‘being intentionally killed’ by depriving her of advanced treatment abroad.
“About whom we’re talking about, she (Khaleda Zia) is not here among us. She is not allowed to come before us and she is not allowed to speak up,” he said.
Addressing a publication ceremony of a book written on the life and struggles of Khaleda Zia, Abbas said physicians have long been advising to take the BNP chief abroad immediately, giving up hope for her recovery in Bangladesh.
“History will bear witness to how a human being (Khaleda) is knowingly being killed despite repeated pleas…those who deny her the opportunity to seek treatment abroad will be regarded as criminals in history,” he observed.
Abbas, a BNP standing committee member, also warned that those who are committing a crime by preventing Khaleda from receiving life-saving overseas treatment will be held accountable and brought to trial when the winds of justice shift in their favour.
Eti Publications hosted a ceremony at a city hotel to unveil the cover of the Bengali edition of journalist Mahfuz Ullah’s English book “Begum Khaleda Zia: Her Life, Her Story.” The translation of the 670-page book was done by Shahriar Sultan.
Since her conditional release from prison in 2020, the BNP chief has been receiving medical care at Evercare Hospital in the capital under the supervision of a medical board headed by cardiologist Prof Shahabuddin Talukder.
The 79-year-old former prime minister has long been battling various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart, and eyes.
Khaleda’s physicians have been advocating for her treatment at any advanced centre abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021.
Abbas said the current government is desperate to remove the names of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman from the country’s history.
“If this regime continues to hold power unchecked, it will not allow the existence of Ziaur Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and the BNP. The most critical concern is that our country will not be independent under this government unless people become aware,” he said.
The BNP leader said no one would get rid of the misrule of the Awami League government if the BNP could not raise awareness among the people of our country.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Members Jamiruddin Sircar, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazul Islam Khan, BNP Vice-Chairmen Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, and AZM Zahid Hossain, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Educationists Prof Dilara Jaman and Prof Asif Nazrul were, among others, present.
