Bangladeshi former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been hospitalised in “very critical” condition, party members said, as family and supporters asked well‑wishers to pray for her recovery. The 80‑year‑old was taken to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on November 23 and remains in intensive care, her personal physician Dr A Z M Zahid Hossein told reporters late Saturday.
Admitted with symptoms of a lung infection, Hossein said Zia appeared to be responding to treatment. “At this moment, I can say her condition has been in the same stage for the last three days. In doctors’ language, we say ‘she is responding to the treatment’,” he told the Daily Star, adding: “Please pray so that she can continue to receive this treatment.”
The BNP’s secretary‑general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, had described her condition as “very critical” a day earlier. The Daily Star reported that Zia suffers from multiple health problems, including heart disease, liver and kidney issues, diabetes, lung problems, arthritis and eye ailments. She has a permanent pacemaker and previously underwent stenting for her heart.
Supporters gathered outside Evercare to pray for her recovery. Activists held banners and waited through the morning; Liton Molla, a 45‑year‑old driver who rushed to the hospital after hearing the news, said he prays she recovers and can contest the upcoming election. “At this moment, Bangladesh needs a leader like Khaleda Zia,” he told AFP.
BNP vice chairman Ahmed Azam Khan said an air ambulance was on standby to fly Zia abroad for advanced treatment if her condition stabilises. Her eldest son, Tarique Rahman, who has lived in London since 2008, thanked people for their prayers and urged them to continue praying for his mother’s early recovery.
Zia, a three‑time prime minister, was jailed for corruption in 2018 under the government of Sheikh Hasina and was previously barred from travelling abroad for medical care. She was released last year shortly after Hasina’s removal from office. Despite her ill health, Zia has vowed to campaign in elections expected in February 2026, in which the BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus issued a statement saying Zia is “a source of utmost inspiration for the nation” during the transitional period to democracy and that her recovery is very important for the country.
