Shift Khaleda Zia to hospital, Bangladesh court orders government

A High Court division bench in Bangladesh on Thursday asked the government to immediately send jailed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to a hospital in the capital for treatment.

Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil ordered the government authorities to commence the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson's treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), a government-run medical university cum hospital.

The judges also asked the authorities to form a fresh medical team to examine Khaleda's health conditions, bdnews24.com reported.

She was sentenced to five years in jail on February 8 for embezzling donations to the Zia Orphanage Trust. Since then, the former Premier has been kept at the old Dhaka central jail.

The court's order came following a writ petition filed by Khaleda on September 9 seeking its directive to send her to a specialised hospital for her treatment.

It said that Khaleda can choose a physiotherapist, a gynaecologist, a technician and a physician outside BSMMU for her treatment subject to the approval from the medical team, according to the report.

The BNP held a rally in Dhaka on Sunday, demanding Khaleda's release before the national election slated for December.

--IANS

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