BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia remains in critical condition at Evercare Hospital after a lung infection led to pneumonia, with long-standing ailments complicating treatment, party leaders and her medical team indicated on Friday.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said doctors had described her status as “extremely critical,” adding there had been no improvement over the past two days. Zia, nearly 80, was moved from a cabin to the coronary care unit (CCU) two days ago and is under the supervision of a medical board comprising local and overseas specialists.
Party officials said clinicians are considering an overseas transfer to Singapore for advanced care “if feasible.” Because of infection risks, senior leaders including Mirza Fakhrul and standing committee member Aamir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury viewed her only from outside the CCU and conferred with doctors. After midnight, standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan told reporters she is under intensive monitoring, with clinicians reviewing parameters and taking necessary measures.
The Chief Adviser of the interim government, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, voiced deep concern over Zia’s condition, asked citizens to pray for her recovery, and instructed officials to ensure all required medical support. BNP organized nationwide prayers at mosques following Friday prayers.
Zia was admitted on Sunday amid acute shortness of breath; subsequent tests confirmed a pulmonary infection. Board member Prof. F. M. Siddiqui earlier noted a combination of cardiac and respiratory complications driving her symptoms. Her medical history includes kidney and liver disease, diabetes, arthritis, and eye problems.
Family members are closely involved. From London, her elder son and acting BNP chair Tarique Rahman and his spouse Dr. Zubaida Rahman—a member of the medical board—are receiving constant updates. Sharmila Rahman, widow of her late younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, is at the hospital.
Zia’s latest hospitalization follows years of legal and medical turbulence. Convicted in two cases under the former Awami League government, she served over two years in prison before her sentence was suspended by executive order on March 25, 2020, with periodic extensions but no permission for overseas treatment. After the July people’s uprising and change of government, she was released, traveled to the UK on January 8, 2025 for treatment, and returned on May 6. Since then she has required intermittent hospital care.
As supporters kept vigil outside Evercare late into the night, party leaders reiterated appeals for public prayers and said decisions on any international transfer would hinge on her stability and physicians’ advice.