A week after the Jatiya Oikya Front said its leader Kamal Hossain would lead a delegation to visit incarnated BNP chief Khaleda Zia at the hospital, now uncertainty looms over whether the alliance convener will meet the former prime minister.
Kamal, who is also president of Gono Forum, has been suffering from health issues for a couple of days.

“He (Kamal) suffers from pain in his left knee. He may fly to Singapore or Bangkok for treatment,” said Reza Kibria, general secretary of Gono Forum.

On Oct 20, the alliance leader ASM Abdur Rob after a meeting at Kamal’s Motijheel office said that an Oikya Front delegation led by Kamal would visit Zia, who is now undergoing treatment at that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital since Apr 1.

On the next day, a three-member delegation led by Rob, who is president of JatiyaSamajtantrik Dal-JSD, met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the latter’s office in Dhaka.

After the meeting, Rob told the media that they received the clearance to visit the BNP chief at the hospital.

On Oct 22, Kamal informed the alliance leaders that he fell sick and would be able to visit the BNP chief at the hospital.

Sources at BNP said its standing committee member Iqbal Mahmud Tuku visited Kamal on Oct 23 to make the latter agree on the visit to the BSMMU.

The Gono Forum chief, however, did not agree, the sources added.

JaityaOikya Front leader Zafrullah Chowdhury also confirmed Bangla Tribune on Kamal skipping the visit.

“Kamal is very sick. He won’t visit [Khaleda],” said Chowdhury, who the founder president of Gonoshashthya Kendra.

Asked when the alliance delegation will visit Khaleda, Reza couldn’t clarify any specific date.

Reza said “We are waiting for a couple of days. The family of BNP chairperson has just met her.

“We will visit her after getting an appointment in line with the jail code,” he added.