Khaleda’s plea to reach home ministry on today

The Law Ministry will forward its opinion on an appeal by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s family to permit  her to fly abroad for better treatment to the home ministry on Sunday, says Minister Anisul Huq.

The review was conducted taking the opinions of officials concerned on waiving Khaleda’s sentence conditionally on the basis of an executive order of the government.

The minister said on Saturday that the file could not be sent on the day as it was a public holiday. 

“But the file and other supporting documents, including the legal ones, will be sent to the home ministry on Sunday, which will do what is necessary accordingly,” he said.    

When asked about the decision of his ministry, Anisul Huq said the home ministry, upon receiving the file, will disclose that on Sunday. 

The government had released the BNP chief on March 25 last year after suspending her jail sentence as per Section 401 (1) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC) for six months primarily.

The suspension was extended twice later on. According to the law, the suspension order can be placed conditionally. It can be withdrawn either. 

Khaleda Zia’s release was on the condition that she would not leave the country and would receive treatment in Bangladesh while out of jail through a suspension of her sentence. 

Speaking on the matter on Thursday, the law minister said: “The first thing is that we’ll have to see if there’s any chance of relaxing Section 401 (1) of the CrPC. Then we’ll convey our take on this to the home ministry.”

The suspension of the BNP chief’s jail term conditionally followed an executive order of the government and the court had nothing to do with it, he said at the time. 

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said it was a big question whether Khaleda Zia at all needed to be taken abroad for medical treatment.

“She is now getting the highest medical treatment in Bangladesh. But we can see that the BNP and her family are repeatedly asking for her to be taken abroad.” He was speaking at a program in Chittagong.

Khelada Zia had tested positive for coronavirus on April 10—but her test returned negative on Thursday. She is now being treated at a private hospital in the capital for post-Covid-19 complications.

Last week, family members of the former premier and the BNP secretary general met the home minister to discuss the matter of her treatment abroad.

While several ministers said that the government would consider the plea positively, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud labeled the move as politically motivated. He said that she could be treated in Bangladesh, as the treatment of Covid-19 is the same everywhere around the world.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said on Thursday that the authorities had received the document from the Home Ministry and would look for provisions to ease the conditions of Khaleda’s release from prison.