Govt restricting Khaleda from going abroad out of 'fear'

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that the government is not allowing their party chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment as it is scared of her popularity. "You all know when she fell ill, her family applied to take her abroad, but the government denied it. We're not surprised that the government has now given a condition that she can't go abroad," he said.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office, Fakhrul also said doctors are saying Khaleda needs to go abroad for advanced treatment due to her illness, but the government is unfortunately obstructing her from leaving the country.

"The main thing is that they (govt) are so afraid of Begum Khaleda Zia that they can never think of freeing her or allowing her to leave the country in any way…they're keeping her confined," he observed.Earlier in the day, the government has extended the suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's jail sentence in two corruption cases for another six months with all the previous conditions in place, reports UNB.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the government took the decision in the wake of an application submitted by the BNP chief's family.As per the conditions, he said, Khaleda Zia will receive treatment at her Gulshan residence the way she wants. "But she won't be able to leave the country. The conditions that were there before will remain the same."

Khaleda's family submitted an application to the Home Ministry early this month seeking further extension of her conditional release and allowing her to go abroad for receiving advanced treatment.Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences on March 25 last year.

The government extended her release for six more months on August 27 last year and it was extended further for another six months on March 15 last. On May 5, her family also applied to the government seeking permission to take her abroad for better treatment, but the government turned it down saying there is no scope for a convicted person to avail of such a scope. The 77-year-old Khaleda Zia is currently staying in her rented house 'Firoza' in the city's Gulshan area.

According to her physicians, the BNP chief has been suffering from various old-age complications, including arthritis, diabetes and eye problems.Khaleda Zia tested positive for Covid-19 on April 10, and then she received treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital for 54 days for post-Covid complications and some other underlying health problems.