Former Bangladesh Prime Minister (PM) Khaleda Zia, who is imprisoned, is critically ill and may be paralyzed if she isn’t treated quickly.
A close aid and secretary general of the former PM's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, revealed that Zia suffered a recent mild stroke and multiple complications. He said that the doctors had warned that if Zia was not treated quickly, she could be paralyzed, foreign media reported. The two-time prime minister and head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party can no longer walk on her own.
Although the government has offered to have Zia admitted to two state-run medical facilities, her party insists she needs to go to the private hospital where she has long been treated. Alamgir remarked that Zia needs regular care by their trusted doctors there.
Zia was convicted in February for embezzling some US $250,000 in donations meant for an orphanage trust. According to Bangladesh law, anyone imprisoned for more than two years cannot run for office for the next five years. This means that Zia cannot contest the national elections scheduled for December, against arch-rival Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.