Three service chiefs visit Khaleda in hospital

In a rare and notable gesture, the chiefs of the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy, and the Bangladesh Air Force visited former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday night.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) at 9:27pm, the three service chiefs paid a courtesy visit to Khaleda Zia, who is currently receiving medical treatment at the private hospital. 

The visit comes amid ongoing political developments in the country and underscores the high-profile nature of Khaleda Zia’s condition. 

While the ISPR did not provide further details on the duration or content of the meeting, such a collective appearance by the heads of the armed forces is considered unusual and significant in Bangladesh’s civil-military context.

Khaleda Zia, 79, has been in frail health in recent years and has been under medical care for various age-related ailments. She remains the central figure of the main opposition BNP, though she has not held public office since 2008.