Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair and former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s physical condition continued to be ‘very critical’.

Specialists from the United States, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh had been involved in her treatment, with Chinese doctors also joining the medical team as well on Moday.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said that Khaleda Zia was currently very ill and was in hospital.

Speaking at an event at the BNP chair’s office in Gulshan, Fakhrul said that doctors were working tirelessly and they were coordinating with both domestic and foreign medical experts to provide her treatment.

Hospital sources said that a five-member medical team arrived from China on Monday afternoon.

The team has already joined the medical board formed for Khaleda Zia’s treatment and, based on their report, the main medical team is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, BNP vice-chair Ahmed Aazam Khan described her condition as ‘very deep and critical’, with no significant improvement reported as of Monday afternoon.

‘She has not yet come to a condition that we can speak  of positively. We urge the entire nation to pray for her. Madam is in a very deep condition,’ Azam told reporters outside Evercare Hospital in the capital Dhaka at about 1:45pm on Monday.

He declined to explain the term ‘deep condition’, saying that he did not wish to elaborate further.

He said that at that moment there was nothing more to say except to request prayers from the nation, adding that doctors were trying for her recovery tirelessly.

Azam said that specialists from the United States, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh had long been involved in her treatment, adding that Chinese doctors had now joined the medical team as well.

Avoiding the use of specific medical terms, Azam emphasised repeatedly that Khaleda Zia’s current state was grave.

‘Whether it is CCU to ICU, ICU to ventilation or life support, I will not comment on those transitions. What I can say is that Madam is in a very critical condition,’ he said.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has urged people not to be misled by statements regarding the treatment of BNP chair Khaleda Zia, saying that she remained under treatment in the CCU as before.

‘Khaleda Zia is still seriously ill and in a very deep crisis, but her condition today is the same as it was yesterday or the day before,’ he said

Speaking on Monday at a special prayer event in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, organised for Khaleda Zia’s recovery, Rizvi said that various rumours and misleading reports about her health and treatment were being circulated, advising the public to ignore them.

The BNP and its affiliated organisations held special prayers across the country today, seeking the speedy recovery, long life, and well-being of BNP chair Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23, and after examinations, doctors confirmed that she had developed a lung infection.

The 79-year-old politician has long been suffering from multiple health conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, kidney complications, and eye problems.

She travelled to London for advanced treatment on January 7 and returned to Bangladesh on May 6 after 117 days of medical care.