Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said he prays so that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia recovers fast and returns home.

“I pray to the Almighty that Begum Zia recovers quickly and returns home as before,” he said.

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Hasan Mahmud, also the Information and Broadcasting Minister, was speaking to reporters after inaugurating two books in the Conference Room of the Department of Information at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Asked by reporters to comment on the recommendation by Khaleda Zia's medical board that the ex-prime minister be sent abroad for advanced treatment, the minister replied: “They (the doctors) are talking like the BNP. The government is sincere and is doing whatever support is necessary to ensure that Begum Zia gets the best healthcare and will do more if needed.”

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“If they need to bring in an outside doctor, they can also do that,” he added.

Asked about the convictions in the trial of some BNP leaders, Hasan said: "The courts in the country work independently, they do not give arbitrary verdicts. If BNP leaders are not satisfied with the lower court's verdict, they can go to the High Court. There are two other levels of high courts.”

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“But in reality, BNP does not have confidence in either the country or the court,” the I & B minister said, adding, "The date has been postponed more than 100 times in Begum Zia's case. That's why they say it. The law and courts operate independently in the country. For this reason, the Awami League leaders are also tried and punished.”