The Jamaat-backed interim government has officially designated BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as a “Very Important Person” (VIP) and placed her under the protection of the elite Special Security Force (SSF), including select members of the Zia family, in a move that has taken political circles by surprise.
Two gazette notifications issued Monday by the Chief Adviser’s Office, signed by Director General (Administration) Mohammad Abdul Wadud Chowdhury on behalf of the president, invoked Section 2(a) of the Special Security Force Act 2021. The orders took immediate effect.
The decision comes as the 80-year-old opposition leader continues treatment at Evercare Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU), where she has been since November 23 for a serious lung infection and multiple comorbidities.
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Speaking to reporters at around 3:30pm, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: “Madam’s condition is stable, and her treatment is ongoing under the doctors’ close observation.”
Fakhrul cautioned against conflicting reports, stating, “Various media outlets are publishing news about her that is not correct. No one should be confused by this.” He urged the nation to continue praying for her swift recovery.
The BNP has formally requested all media outlets to rely exclusively on updates from Khaleda Zia’s personal physician and party Standing Committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain. A party press release emphasized that no other source should be considered authoritative regarding her health.
Earlier today, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told a prayer gathering in Nayapaltan that her treatment at Evercare Hospital was continuing as before and reiterated the call for nationwide prayers.
Large gatherings of BNP leaders, activists, and well-wishers outside Evercare Hospital in recent days have strained regular police deployments, prompting the enhanced SSF cover. Political observers note that Khaleda Zia had not faced any reported security threats in recent years, leading to speculation that the VIP status may also be linked to the possible return of her London-based son, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Tarique Rahman, in exile since 2008, stated on November 29 that he could not unilaterally decide to return to his critically ill mother’s bedside due to unspecified “political realities,” despite the interim government publicly declaring there are “no restrictions or objections whatsoever” to his homecoming.
As of this evening, no confirmed travel plans for Tarique Rahman have been announced, and the BNP continues to treat Khaleda Zia’s stable but closely monitored condition as the nation’s focal point of concern and prayer.
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