DHAKA: Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, believed to have been expecting a formal invitation to swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as Indian Premier, set a new example of visiting an ailing former Prime Minister in the midnight.
Begum Zia has a track record of midnight policy-level meetings and decisions, but this time the nation witnessed she also visits an elderly ailing politician keeping him awake for two hours after his scheduled time of sleep.
“Sir (Kazi Zafar Ahmed) has problem in his backbone... He has been suffering from serious pain... Usually he goes to sleep in between 10 to 11pm,” said an on-duty nurse of the United Hospital.
But, it was 12:10 am when Begum Khaleda Zia reached to see him. And when she left after visiting Kazi Zafar, it was 18 minutes past midnight.
“Every hospital has its visitors’ hours, United is no exception, too. The former Prime Minister not only came in the midnight, her visit also made the hospital like an anarchic situation,” said an attendant of a patient at cardiac unit of the hospital where Kazi Zafar Ahmed is undergoing treatment since May 11.
Zafar had fallen at a bathroom during a political tour to southern Khulna and got hurt on his backbone and back. He was rushed to Dhaka and admitted to the United Hospital.
Over the visit of BNP Chairperson to see a JP faction Chairman Kazi Zafar Ahmed, witnesses said, BNP-men started to gather on the hospital premises at around 11pm. “It was like a bazaar by the midnight,” said a witness.
Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, once an elderly student leader, were among the leaders and activists to receive Khaleda Zia.
“There was a momentum among them when BNP’s Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reached the hospital 10 minutes to midnight,” said a witness.
Also, another witness said, activities of CSF (Chairperson’s Security Force) were seen by that time. “They started to give directives like which gate will remain open and how much... All that directives brought huge hue and cry although a hospital should always be a silent zone,” said another attendant of a patient.
Not only by the CSF personnel, he said, shouts and loud talks by the television crews who lined up in front of Kazi Zafar’s cabin also hampered the natural environment of a hospital.
With the hue and cry by Khaleda Zia’s private security personnel as well as camera persons and BNP leaders and activists, the former Prime Minister reached the United Hospital at 12.10am.
“Police security were in front and behind Begum Zia’s car and the police patrol cars were honking as if it was a city street jam-packed by vehicles, not a hospital,” said the witness.
It is natural that a party chief will not move alone, but the hospital was also not out of protocol presence of her party leaders. Apart from Mirza Fakhrul who had been waiting from earlier, Begum Zia was accompanied by Joynul Abedin Faruk, Salahuddin Ahmed and Mahbub Uddin. As it was a visit to a politician at a hospital, DAB leader and BNP Chairperson’s Advisor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain was also with Khaleda Zia.
“The hospital corridor turned to be like Paltan Maidan as the leaders were in a competition to come close to Khaleda Zia apparently not to be out of television cameras,” said a witness preferring not to be named. “As some leaders could not get a place in the lift and could not wait for a second trip, they ran through the staircases making the hospital like a place of Bangabazar.”
Although the cardiology department on the fifth floor has restriction for visitors, none dared to follow the directive. Six camerapersons had lined up from earlier on corridor and started to take video footages as soon as Begum Zia disembarked from the elevator.
The hue and cry was in such a level that many patients and their allowed attendants woke up and came out of their cabins to understand what was going on in the midnight.
Soon the small cabin where Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Kazi Zafar Ahmed was undergoing treatment also became a center of hue and cry and pushing-pulling by the political leaders as well as television crews.
The small cabin had very small room to accommodate the politicians who were in a mad-rush competition to be snapped by cameras by six television camerapersons and Begum Zia’s personal cameraman who “should have a priority” in such cases.
The photos showed that Begum Zia stayed beside oxygen-masked Kazi Zafar Ahmed for sometimes. She left the hospital at 12.18am leaving it to return to its original atmosphere.
BDST: 1207 HRS, MAY 26, 2014
