New Delhi: The Bangladesh government has refused to grant permission to the Khaleda Zia, the ailing opposition leader put under house arrest, to travel abroad for specialised medical treatment unavailable in the country.According to a Dhaka Tribune report, the medical board formed by the Sheikh Hasina government some months ago at the Evercare Hospital located in the capital city addressed a press meet in Dhaka on October 9 to state that Zia has been suffering from liver cirrhosis and urgently needs a transplant. Since a liver transplant can’t be carried out in any hospital in Bangladesh, she needs to travel abroad immediately.“Khaleda Zia’s risk of death is high and she needs urgent overseas treatment for a liver transplant,” F.M. Siddiqui, one of the doctors on the medical board, told reporters at the meet. He said, “Khaleda Zia’s liver infection has caused fluid to accumulate in her stomach repeatedly. High dosages of antibiotics have proven ineffective. Fluid buildup has impacted her heart, resulting in her being shifted to the CCU twice.” The news report quoting the medical board said, “They have exhausted all available treatment options available domestically.”The medical board has been insisting on her need to travel aboard. On October 1, Zia’s family urged the government to allow her to travel aboard for better treatment. The same day, the law ministry denied permission citing legal provisions. The Daily Star quoted home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal as saying, “According to the existing law, there is no scope for granting the application to let BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia go abroad.”The 78-year-old BNP chairperson has been suffering from multiple diseases including diabetes and arthritis. Since her conditional release from prison in 2020 due to the threat of COVID-19, she has been living in her residence in Gulshan area of Dhaka and receiving treatment at the Evercare Hospital. In August she was hospitalised after her condition became worse.Since 2018, Zia has been serving a 17-year jail term after she was convicted in two corruption cases.