Bangladesh's armed forces chiefs make rare joint visit to ailing ex-PM Khaleda Zia

Dhaka: In a rare joint public visit, the chiefs of Bangladesh's three armed services met ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia at the hospital where she is undergoing treatment, according to the military's media wing on Wednesday.

Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan visited Zia at Evercare Hospital on Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said in a brief statement.

According to news portal bdnews24.com, their vehicles were seen entering the hospital's main gate around 9 pm. The three service chiefs stayed inside briefly and left shortly after 9:20 pm.

Quoting Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan, the state-run BSS news agency said the chiefs spoke with Zia's family members and her medical team, and offered prayers for her recovery.

Later in the night, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman also visited the 80-year-old ailing BNP chairperson.

The three-time prime minister was admitted to the private hospital on November 23 after being diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs.

She was moved to the coronary care unit four days later as her complications worsened.

Her condition deteriorated further, and she was placed on ventilation on Sunday night, BNP Vice-Chairman Advocate Ahmed Aazam Khan had said.

Security was tightened around Zia on early Tuesday after the interim government on Monday declared her a “very, very important person”, enabling the deployment of the Special Security Force (SSF) for her protection.

Zia is currently staying in a cabin on the fourth floor, where surrounding cabins have been vacated as part of heightened security protocols.

Special prayers for Zia's recovery are being held across Bangladesh, including in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Barishal, Sylhet and Mymensingh, by BNP units and supporters.

Many supporters also took to social media to post prayers and messages wishing her a swift recovery.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters late Monday that Zia's son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been living in self-exile in London for over a decade, “will return to Bangladesh soon”.

His remarks followed a meeting of the BNP’s top decision-making body, which also discussed the current political situation and strategies for the upcoming election campaign.

BNP has re-emerged as the frontrunner in Bangladesh's changed political landscape after a student-led violent street protest toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024

According to BNP leaders, Rahman, who has been in London since 2008, is awaiting the issuance of a new Bangladeshi passport, as he is unwilling to use a one-time travel pass offered by the interim government.

At a press conference on Monday, Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said Rahman is not registered as a voter in Bangladesh but may do so if permitted by the EC.