DHAKA, 1 March 2004 — Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday said the best possible treatment was being given to eminent litterateur Prof. Humayun Azad at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). The prime minister assured the members of Prof. Azad’s family that he would be sent abroad for treatment, if necessary. The assurance came when Prof. Azad’s daughter Mouli Azad and son Ananyo Azad met the prime minister at her office. They expressed gratitude to the prime minister for the government measures in arranging better treatment of their father and also thanked her for her regular personal inquiry about his treatment at the CMH.
Prof. Azad’s brother Sajjad Kabir and sister-in-law Shamsunnahar Gafur, and the PM’s political secretaries Harris Chowdhury and Mosaddeq Ali were present.
Prof. Humayun Azad was critically injured in an attack by miscreants on Friday night, near the Bangla Academy.
It may be mentioned here that the prime minister in a public rally in Dhaka yesterday indicted the Awami League for enacting the drama by organizing the attack on Humayun Azad so as to prepare the ground for calling another general strike in Bangladesh. The AL enforced four strikes in February alone.
Last night, leader of the opposition Hasina Wajed was denied entry into the CMH when she went to see Prof. Azad who underwent surgery there.
Awami League sources said Hasina’s car was halted by Military Police near Swadhinata Road crossing inside the cantonment and asked not to proceed.
But Hasina got down from the vehicle and walked all the way up to the CMH gate where she was again denied entry into the hospital compound, they said.
“My car was halted at Swadhinata Road crossing and I walked down three kms up to the CMH gate… But I was not allowed to enter the hospital to see Prof. Humayun Azad,” Hasina told a news agency.
