Dhaka: Two BNP senior leaders met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday with their party’s demand for ensuring treatment of the party’s ailing Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Dhaka’s United Hospital.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that they found the Home Minister positive about their demand.

‘Khaleda Zia is seriously sick in jail as she even can’t walk. So, we’ve requested the Home Minister to take immediate steps for her better treatment and proper medical tests,’ he said.

Mentioning that their chairperson has confidence in doctors and medical tests of the United Hospital, Nazrul said they told the Home Minister to take her to the private hospital.

Asked what the Home Minister said, he said, ‘The Home Minister’s statements seem positive in this regard. He also called the IG Prison to join our meeting, and we discussed everything in front of him.’

The BNP leader said Asaduzzaman Khan also gave his consent about ensuring proper treatment of Khaleda at a better place.

‘We’ll now wait to see what steps the IG Prison takes. We hope they will take steps for our leaders’ health checkup and treatment at the United Hospital.’

Asked whether they talked about taking Khaleda Zia abroad, an irritated Nazrul said there is no question of sending her abroad

for treatment. ‘We’re saying to provide her with treatment at a (private) hospital here.’  

Earlier, Nazrul together with party vice chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed went to the Home Minister’s secretariat office around 11:30am and had around a half-an-hour meeting.

Party sources said BNP standing committee members on Saturday night decided to send a delegation of the party to the Home Minister as party leaders and Khaleda’s relatives failed to meet her on Thursday and Friday respectively due to her serious illness.

On February 8, Khaleda Zia was sent to Nazimuddin Road Old Central Jail after a special court sentenced her to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Amid the report of Khaleda’s illness, the government formed a medical team comprising four professors of Dhaka Medical College Hospital early this month.

On April 7, the BNP chief was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for some medical tests as per the prescription of the medical team.

BNP, however, has been demanding that the government allow Khaleda to receive treatment by her personal physicians at the United Hospital instead of any public one.