DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is in “very critical condition” after her health further deteriorated, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) official said on Monday.

BNP Vice Chairman Ahmed Azam Khan said Zia’s condition is “very critical, deep” after speaking with doctors at the hospital treating her in Dhaka. “Her (Khaleda Zia) condition is very critical. She was put on ventilation last (Sunday) night. We are unable to explain more,” he told reporters outside the hospital.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir earlier said Zia was under “close observation” of local and foreign doctors. He added that arrangements had been made to take her abroad but “her present condition is not allowing to do so.”

Zia, 80, has long suffered from a series of health complications, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis and kidney problems. She was taken to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Nov. 23 after developing breathing difficulties.

Her health significantly worsened during her jail term under fugitive former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government was ousted last year, according to the BNP. The party has alleged that Hasina restricted Zia’s access to adequate treatment and prevented her from traveling abroad for advanced medical care.

Zia was released from jail soon after Hasina fled to India in August last year. She later travelled to the UK in January this year for treatment. She had been under house arrest since 2020 and was jailed in 2018 after receiving a five-year sentence.

Her son Tarique Rahman has been in the UK since 2008. He has said his return has been delayed due to security and political concerns as criticism grew over his absence despite his mother’s critical condition.