Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said the process to extend the suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's sentences in two graft cases is underway.

"We've received an application and it has been sent to the law ministry following the procedure, and now the process is underway as per the ministry's opinion," he said while speaking at the Secretariat.

On September 12, Law Minister Anisul Huq said Khaleda must return to jail for submitting a fresh application to seek permission to go abroad for treatment.

Talking to the news agency, Anisul also said his ministry has already given an opinion for extending further by six months the suspension of Khaleda's jail sentences following an application submitted by her family to the government.

"There's no scope to reconsider the application seeking permission to send Khaleda Zia abroad under section 401 of the CrPC. She has to go back to jail and then submit a fresh application if she wants to go abroad for treatment," the minister said.

He, however, said it does not mean that the application will be approved once Khaleda submits it to the government. "It depends on the government."

Meanwhile, Khaleda's family recently submitted an application to the home ministry seeking further extension of her conditional release and allowing her to go abroad for receiving advanced treatment.

The home ministry sent the application to the law ministry a few days back seeking its legal opinion.

The law ministry gave its opinion on September 7 and sent it back to the home ministry, which is supposed to be sent to the Prime Minister's Office for approval.