On a Tuesday night in Dhaka, the three highest-ranking officers of Bangladesh's armed forces came quietly to the bedside of Khaleda Zia, the eighty-year-old former prime minister lying critically ill on a ventilator. Their rare joint visit, carried out in the shadow of a fragile recovery and a looming election, speaks to a nation where illness at the top of politics becomes a matter of state, prayer and public calculation at once. As her son Tarique Rahman prepares to come home from long exile, the hospital room has become a quiet meeting point between a family's grief, a party's future and th
Bangladesh's Three Service Chiefs Make Rare Joint Visit to Hospitalized Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia, 80, is critically ill with heart and lung infections and is on ventilation in a Dhaka hospital.
A rare joint visit by all three service chiefs, at a hospital bedside
Mark
Why does a visit by three military chiefs stand out so much?
Mimi
Because it was joint and it was public. The military's own media wing confirmed it, and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force went together to a hospital at night.
Mark
What did they actually do there?
Mimi
Per BSS, quoting a BNP media cell member, they spoke with her family and doctors and prayed for her recovery. The military statement itself was brief.
Luke
Worth noting that the account of what was said comes from a BNP source relayed by a state agency. The military only confirmed the visit.
Mark
And her condition?
Mimi
Admitted November 23 with heart and lung infections, moved to coronary care four days later, and on ventilation since Sunday night.
Luke
That ventilation detail was stated by a BNP vice-chairman. I don't see an independent medical bulletin in this reporting.
Mark
The VVIP status and tighter security, how do they fit?
Mimi
The interim government made the declaration Monday, which let the Special Security Force deploy. Neighboring cabins on her floor were emptied.
Mark
Does any of this tell us about politics?
Luke
The report doesn't say why the chiefs went beyond the prayers. Any political reading would be inference. What is on record is that the BNP is the frontrunner and that Tarique Rahman's return is pending on a passport and voter registration.
Der Puls
- Khaleda Zia, 80, is fighting heart and lung infections on a ventilator, and her condition has deteriorated quickly since her admission on November 23.
- Army, navy and air force chiefs made a rare joint bedside visit, a gesture that signals how closely the state is watching her case.
- Security has been tightened after the interim government declared her a VVIP, with a Special Security Force deployed and neighboring cabins cleared on the fourth floor.
- Her son Tarique Rahman, stranded in London over a passport and voter-registration dilemma, is expected home soon as the BNP heads toward an election it sees as within reach.
- Supporters across six cities are holding prayer vigils, while her condition remains critical and the political path ahead remains uncertain.
On a Tuesday night in Dhaka, the three highest-ranking officers of Bangladesh's armed forces came quietly to the bedside of Khaleda Zia, the eighty-year-old former prime minister lying critically ill on a ventilator. Their rare joint visit, carried out in the shadow of a fragile recovery and a looming election, speaks to a nation where illness at the top of politics becomes a matter of state, prayer and public calculation at once. As her son Tarique Rahman prepares to come home from long exile, the hospital room has become a quiet meeting point between a family's grief, a party's future and the authority of the state.
Shortly after nine on Tuesday evening, vehicles carrying the commanders of Bangladesh's army, navy and air force pulled through the gate of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. They stayed only briefly before leaving, and their visit was to Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister who has been fighting for her life inside. It was a rare sight: the three service chiefs together at a hospital bedside. They spoke with her family and medical team and offered prayers for her recovery, and later that night the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Shafiqur Rahman, came as well.
Her illness has moved fast. Zia, who has led the BNP and served three times as prime minister, was admitted on November 23 with infections in her heart and lungs. Within days she was moved to intensive care, and by Sunday night she was on a ventilator. The interim government has now declared her a VVIP, bringing in a Special Security Force and clearing the cabins around her on the fourth floor. Outside, BNP units in several cities are holding prayer gatherings, and supporters are posting messages of hope online.
Her illness arrives at a delicate moment for her party. Since a student-led uprising toppled the Awami League government in August 2024, the BNP has emerged as the likely frontrunner in the coming election. Her son Tarique Rahman, the party's acting chairman, has lived in London since 2008 and is expected to return soon. He has not yet used a travel document offered by the interim government, and he is not registered to vote at home. For now, the country waits, with one family's vigil and a nation's politics held in the same quiet hospital room.
Shortly after 9 pm on Tuesday, vehicles carrying the three most senior officers in Bangladesh's armed forces rolled through the main gate of Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. They stayed inside for a short time and were gone shortly after 9:20, according to the news portal bdnews24.com. The visit was to Khaleda Zia, the 80-year-old former prime minister, who is being treated in the hospital.
The visitors were Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan. The military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate, confirmed the visit on Wednesday in a brief statement. The joint public appearance of all three chiefs at a hospital bedside is rare.
According to the state-run BSS news agency, which quoted Shairul Kabir Khan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's media cell, the chiefs spoke with Zia's family members and her medical team and offered prayers for her recovery. Later that night Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, also visited her. Zia chairs the BNP and has served three times as prime minister.
Her illness has moved quickly. She was admitted on November 23 after being diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs. Four days later, as complications worsened, she was moved to the coronary care unit. Her condition deteriorated further, and BNP Vice-Chairman Advocate Ahmed Aazam Khan said she was placed on ventilation on Sunday night.
Security around her has been tightened. On Monday the interim government declared Zia a "very, very important person," which allowed the Special Security Force to be deployed for her protection. The measures took effect early Tuesday. She is in a cabin on the hospital's fourth floor, and the surrounding cabins have been vacated.
Outside the hospital, BNP units and supporters are holding special prayers for her recovery in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Barishal, Sylhet and Mymensingh. Many supporters have also posted prayers and messages wishing her a swift recovery on social media.
Her illness comes as the party is positioning itself for an election. The BNP has re-emerged as the frontrunner in a changed political landscape, after a student-led street protest toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Late Monday, after a meeting of the BNP's top decision-making body, which also discussed the political situation and campaign strategy, Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters that Zia's son Tarique Rahman "will return to Bangladesh soon." Rahman is the party's acting chairman and has lived in self-exile in London since 2008.
BNP leaders say Rahman is waiting for a new Bangladeshi passport, because he is unwilling to use a one-time travel pass offered by the interim government. At a Monday press conference, Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said Rahman is not registered as a voter in Bangladesh but could register if the commission permits. His return, his documents and his voter status are the questions to watch as Zia's condition remains critical.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh soon.— Salahuddin Ahmed, BNP Standing Committee member
The chiefs spoke with Zia's family and medical team and offered prayers for her recovery.— Shairul Kabir Khan, BNP media cell member, as quoted by BSS
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