Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia In Intensive Care

Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia was being treated in intensive care on Saturday, prompting her family and party members to urge citizens to pray for her speedy recovery.

Zia, 80, who was admitted to hospital on November 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, was in a "very critical" condition, a member of her political party said late on Friday.  

"Khaleda Zia is in intensive care and consultations with physicians are ongoing," Ahmed Azam Khan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) told reporters outside the hospital in Dhaka on Saturday.

An air ambulance had been kept on standby to take Zia abroad for advance treatment if her condition stabilises, Khan said. 

Several senior BNP leaders and anxious supporters visited the hospital to receive updates on her condition.

English-language newspaper, The Daily Star, said Zia has "heart problems, liver and kidney issues, diabetes, lung problems, arthritis, and eye-related illnesses".

She has a permanent pacemaker and previously underwent stenting for her heart, the publication reported.

Zia's eldest son, Tarique Rahman, who is based in London since 2008, called on the people of Bangladesh to pray for his mother's recovery.

"We express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all your prayers and love for the highly respected Begum Khaleda Zia," Rahman, 60, said on Saturday in a social media post.

"We fervently request you to continue your prayers for her early recovery."

Rahman said he was unable to return to Bangladesh because of circumstances that were beyond his control.

"I share the same deep longing as any child to have my mother's touch in moments of crisis. However, the decision to return home is neither straightforward nor mine alone to make," he said.

Zia, who served three terms as prime minister, was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Sheikh Hasina's government, which also barred her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

She was released last year, shortly after Hasina's ouster.

Despite her ill health, Zia has vowed to campaign in elections expected in February 2026, in which the BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.

Waiting in front of the hospital since morning, Liton Molla, a driver for a private company, said he rushed there after hearing about Zia's condition, describing her as his "dear leader".

"I just pray she recovers and can contest in the election," Liton, 45, told AFP. 

"At this moment Bangladesh needs a leader like Khaleda Zia." 

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus also issued a statement.

"During this transitional period to democracy, Khaleda Zia is a source of utmost inspiration for the nation. Her recovery is very important for the country," he said on Friday night.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)