The decision to bar BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from travelling abroad for better treatment is the implementation of the prime minister's statement in the US, Senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged.

"A few days ago, the law minister announced that a decision would be taken on Monday regarding the BNP chairperson's better treatment abroad. But three-four days before that, the prime minister said in an interview with the Voice of America in the US that if Begum Zia seeks to go abroad, she must first go to jail and file an appeal in court," Rizvi said during a press briefing at the BNP's Nayapaltan central office yesterday.

"The decision not to allow her [Khaleda Zia] to go abroad for better treatment is the implementation of the prime minister's statement in the US," added Rizvi.

Meanwhile, BNP chairperson's lawyer Kayser Kamal has said her request for permission to seek treatment abroad has been assessed politically rather than legally.

"The law minister publicly declared that any application made on behalf of Khaleda Zia would be duly reviewed. In response to the statement, Khaleda Zia's brother submitted an application on 25 September. Regrettably, it appears that the plea has been evaluated on political grounds rather than a legal one," he said. 

"Section-401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure clearly states that the government has the power to release her by executive order," the lawyer said following the law ministry's statement denying Khaleda permission to go abroad for treatment.

BNP's organizing secretary Abdus Salam Azad, health affairs secretary Rafiqul Islam, co-economic secretary Mahmudur Rahman, executive committee member Akramul Hasan and others were present in the press conference.