Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia's health condition is "extremely critical", a close aide said on Friday.

The 80-year-old former premier was admitted to a hospital on Sunday night when she developed a chest infection that affected both her heart and lungs.

"Last night, the doctors said that her physical condition is extremely critical," BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.

The BNP organised special prayers after the Friday prayers for the speedy recovery of the party's chairperson.

"We have sought prayers from the people across the country after Jummah prayers for the recovery of the 'Mother of Democracy', Begum Khaleda Zia. We pray that she may recover and return to the people to get the opportunity to work for the country," Fakhrul added.

Zia, the wife of slain Bangladesh president Zia-ur Rahman, has been suffering from multiple health complications, including liver and kidney issues, diabetes, arthritis, and eye-related illnesses.

Her only son and BNP's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, has been living in London since 2008. Her other son, Arafat Rahman, died of a cardiac arrest in 2025.

BNP has emerged as the frontrunner in Bangladesh's changed political landscape after a student-led violent street protest toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

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Earlier in the year, Zia returned to the country from London on May 6 after spending four months for advanced medical treatment.