In a recent move, a plea has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting an additional extension of the suspended sentence for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, alongside approval for her to seek medical treatment abroad. Highlighting the critical state of her health, the appeal was lodged by Shamim Iskander, Khaleda Zia’s younger brother, signaling the urgency of her condition.

This request comes after the government’s decision on September 18, 2023, to extend the suspension of her sentence for six more months, marking the eighth such extension. Zia’s sentence had been temporarily lifted, allowing her house arrest in her Gulshan home without the option to travel overseas, a measure taken amid the global coronavirus pandemic on March 25, 2020.

Khaleda Zia, aged 78 and a former Prime Minister, has been battling severe health issues for an extended period, including conditions affecting her liver, heart, kidneys, lungs, and eyes, alongside diabetes and arthritis. Her initial imprisonment on February 8, 2018, followed convictions in two separate corruption cases, sparking widespread discussion and concern for her health and treatment. The ongoing extensions and the latest application for overseas medical care underscore the serious nature of her health challenges and the desire for her to receive the best possible treatment.