Quoting review by eight senior specialist doctors of Armed Forces, a bulletin released by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) yesterday said, "His overall condition is improving and specialists are considering to shift him from the ICU."

"His condition has further improved," it said adding that his pulse, temperature, respiration and blood pressure were within limits.

Azad can sit and walk with assistance and eat liquid food, the ISPR bulletin added.

Meanwhile, Azad's wife Latifa Kohinoor said, "His condition is better than it was two days back, now he speaks clearer than before."

"According to doctors' suggestion, we are helping him walk a few steps and massaging his body when we see him," she said, adding their daughters and son, the writer's aunt and a uncle also visited him in the morning.

Author of over 50 books, the versatile writer, also professor of Bangla at Dhaka University, was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after two youths stabbed him with machetes near Bangla Academy when he came out of Ekushey Book Fair to go to his Fuller Road residence on February 27 night.

To ensure better treatment, the government later shifted Azad to the CMH the same night where he has been kept at ICU since then.

The hospital authorities yesterday also allowed Inspector Kazi Abdul Malek of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to talk to him yesterday. Earlier, the authorities turned down his prayers four times.

"I just exchanged pleasantries and expressed my sympathy towards him today. I had to cut short as he is not totally OK," Malek told The Daily Star.

"Since all his laboured words can not be understood, I have decided to see him a few days later to learn about the incident," the CID inspector said.

However, hospital authorities are yet to allow visit of Azad's publisher Osman Gani whom the injured writer wanted to see several times.