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Hasina won't go abroad with strings attached

Physicians urge govt to send her to US for better treatment

Staff Correspondent
Detained Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina would not go abroad for medical treatment if the government imposes any condition on her, party's acting President Zillur Rahman said yesterday.
"If any condition is imposed or direction is given to Hasina prior to her going abroad for treatment, she obviously will not go," Zillur said.
The AL leader was talking to the reporters outside a makeshift court set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises where hearing on charge-framing in a case against Hasina had been going on. Yesterday's hearing, however, did not take place as Hasina could not appear before the court due to
illness.
Meanwhile, four physicians treating the former premier yesterday appealed to the chief adviser of the caretaker government to send Hasina to the US for better medical treatment.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge'scourt fixed tomorrow as the next date of hearing on charge framing in the Tk 3 pore extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury against Hasina and two others.
This is for the second time Hasina could not attend the hearing after she fell ill at the special court on December 31,2007.
The court of Judge Azizul Haque passed the order as soon as the
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court sat at 9:50am. The jail authorities in a custody warrant informed the court that the former premier could not be produced as she is suffering from headache and vertigo.
The judge in its order said that tne hearing could not be held in absence of tlle accused and fixed tomorrow as the next hearing date.
Another accused in the case and Hasina's cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim was brought to die court at 9:35am. As AL acting chief Zillur Rahman arrived at the court at 9:47am, Selim talked with him standing in the dock until die court sat.
The diird accused in the case Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana, who is currcndy staying in London, was shown absconding by the prosecution lawyers before the court.
Talking to the reporters outside the court, Zillur Rahman said that he cannot give detailed information about Hasina's health as they could not meet heryet.
Replying to a question whether the government has already talked about attaching conditions, Zillur said, "In the present situation, the government is likely to impose condition on Hasina before allowing her abroad."
If the government agrees to send her overseas upon recommendations of the doctors with no condition, only then Hasina might be willi ng to go, he added.
"Here comes no question of condition for sending her abroad as all the four specialists on gynecology, eye, medicine and ENT, have recommended better medical treatment for the former premier," barrister Shafiq Ahmed, chief counsel to Hasina, said.
"The treatment is for saving life and there must be no condition in this regard," he added.
"Earlier after the grenade attack on August 21, the doctors also prescribed Hasina to go to America once in three months for checkups, but she is being deprived of that treatment." Shafiq said.
Replying to another question of arranging better treatment inside jail by bringing doctors from abroad, Snafiq said, "It is not possible as the equipment necessary for her treatment is not available in Bangladesh."
In a joint letter to the chief adviser, the four physicians treating the AL chief Prof Syed Modasser Ali, Prof Pran Gopal Dutta. Prof Shaila Khatun and Prof ABM Abdullah, mentioned different complications, including of hearing and kidney, and recommended sending her to US.
The letter was sent to the chief adviser through a messenger yesterday morning. Copy of the letter was also sent to tne secretary of the home ministry.
Security measures were tightened around the entire parliament com-, plex yesterday witn deployment of huge number of law enforcers including detective police and riot police equipped with water canon.
Several incidents of police harassing the journalists during security checking at several entry points were also reported.
The trial of the detained former prime minister and two others resumed at the court on December 26, several days after a legal wrangle over relocating the court for trying a partic -
ular case. The hearing on charge framing began on Decembers.
The High Court (HC) on December 9 had stayed the trial proceedings for tliree months following a writ petition filed by Hasina’slawyers challengingshifting of the court for holding trial of a particular case, and its operation at two places at a time.
On December 13, the Supreme Court vacated the HC order clearing all barriers to the hearing of the case in the makeshift court.