Bangladesh bars Former PM's foreign medical treatment

Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government has rejected a request by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to seek medical treatment abroad, sparking criticism from her party and raising concerns about her deteriorating health.

Khaleda Zia, a two-time former prime minister and the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been suffering from a range of health issues, including liver inflammation, arthritis, diabetes, kidney problems, lung complications, heart conditions, and eye ailments.

Her family had sent a formal request to the government last month, seeking permission for her to travel abroad for medical treatment.

However, Law Minister Anisul Huq confirmed to the media that the government had declined her request.

Critics of the government's decision argue that it appears to be politically motivated and aimed at settling political scores, as Khaleda Zia has been a prominent opposition leader in Bangladesh.

Khaleda Zia, who is 78 years old, has been under medical supervision since her conditional release from prison in 2020.

She was serving a prison sentence following her conviction in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case in 2018.

Subsequently, she was also found guilty in another corruption case the same year.

Upon her release in 2020, the government stipulated that she remain in her residence in Gulshan, Dhaka, as part of her parole conditions and refrain from traveling abroad.