The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said that the condition of his party chairperson Khaleda Zia remained ‘steady’ following the placement of a pacemaker in her chest.

Speaking at a press conference, he also said that his party policymakers had decided to take out fresh programmes demanding Khaleda’s unconditional release as they believed that she was being deprived of advanced treatment abroad only because of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s vindictiveness.

‘As far as I know until this (Tuesday) morning, she was shifted to a cabin yesterday. She couldn’t adjust personally in the CCU (Coronary Care Unit). That’s why she was moved to a cabin with CCU facilities. She remains stable there,’ the BNP leader said.

Earlier on Sunday, a team of specialist doctors at Evercare Hospital, led by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, successfully implanted a pacemaker in Khaleda Zia’s chest. She had previously experienced heart issues involving three blockages.

Khaleda Zia was rushed to Evercare Hospital in an ambulance at around 3:30 am on Saturday after suddenly falling ill at her Gulshan residence

The press conference was arranged at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office to inform the media about the outcomes of the party standing committee’s virtual meeting held on Monday.

Fakhrul alleged that Khaleda was sentenced and imprisoned on false charges, as the government’s primary objective was to eliminate her from politics.

He claimed that Khaleda became ill during her two-year solitary confinement in Old Dhaka Central Jail without receiving proper treatment.

When their party chief was released on two conditions, Fakhrul said she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.

‘This is not a minor illness; cirrhosis is a major disease. Doctors told us that without a liver transplant, there is no viable treatment for her. Such procedures are not available in Bangladesh,’ he observed.

The BNP leader stated that their party and Khaleda’s family members made significant efforts to secure proper treatment for her.

He mentioned that they even brought doctors from Johns Hopkins University in the US who performed a hepatic procedure known as TIPS to address water accumulation in Khaleda’s stomach and chest, as well as bleeding in her liver.

‘That’s why she’s still alive. But this isn’t a permanent solution. The only real solution is a liver transplant. She needs to be sent abroad to a multidisciplinary medical centre for comprehensive treatment by controlling the other ailments…that’s what we’ve been saying for a long time,’ Fakhrul said.

He said that all arrangements were made by the BNP chief’s family to send her abroad earlier for treatment, but the Prime Minister finally turned down the application seeking permission for this purpose.

‘Not only that, we sent letters to various missions (regarding this matter). They made repeated efforts (to persuade the govt), but they were unsuccessful. They informed us, ‘Sorry, she didn’t agree. She’s very vindictive.’ That’s what they conveyed to us,’ Fakhrul recalled.

In such a situation, he said that the party’s standing committee expressed concern over Khaleda’s deteriorating health condition.

Fakhrul said that their policymakers viewed Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment as solely motivated by political vengeance, which they deemed entirely unconstitutional and unlawful.

He said that the BNP standing committee also observed that the illegitimate government was systematically preventing Khaleda from receiving advanced medical treatment to kill her and consolidate its power.

‘Our party’s standing committee, in their meeting, decided to launch a movement for her unconditional release. They also decided to formulate necessary action plans in this regard,’ said the BNP secretary general.