Who was Khaleda Zia? Bangladesh’s first woman PM; archrival of Sheikh Hasina
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80. A dominant political figure for decades and the country's first woman prime minister, Zia had been battling multiple serious health complications. Her death occurs as Bangladesh approaches crucial national elections.
Khaleda ZiaKhaleda Zia (ANI image)
Former Bangladesh prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia died early Tuesday at the age of 80, party officials confirmed. She had been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
According to her party, Zia died around 6.00 am, shortly after Fajr prayers, after remaining in critical condition for months.A dominant figure in Bangladesh’s politics for decades, Khaleda Zia was the country’s first woman prime minister and the long-time political rival of Sheikh Hasina. She had been suffering from multiple serious health complications, including heart, lung, liver and kidney ailments, diabetes and pneumonia.
Zia had been under intensive medical care since November.
From First Woman PM To Fierce Rivalry: Khaleda Zia’s Three Terms That Redefined Bangladesh Politics
Her death comes just days after her elder son and BNP’s acting chairperson Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh from London, ending 17 years of self-imposed exile as the country moves toward crucial national elections.Also Read | Bangladesh: Former PM & BNP chairman Khaleda Zia passes away at 80
Who was Khaleda Zia?
Khaleda Zia was born in 1945 in Jalpaiguri and grew up in Dinajpur. She married Ziaur Rahman in 1960, who later became Bangladesh’s president after seizing power as a military chief in 1977.
Following his assassination in a military coup in 1981, Khaleda, who had never been involved in politics, entered public life and took charge of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 1984.
She emerged as a key leader in the mass movement against military ruler HM Ershad, earning a reputation as an uncompromising figure in the struggle to restore democracy. In 1991, she led the BNP to victory and became Bangladesh’s first elected woman prime minister, introducing the parliamentary system of government and later playing a role in establishing the caretaker government system for elections.Khaleda Zia served as prime minister two times from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. Her political career was defined by a fierce rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, a contestant who shaped Bangladesh’s politics for more than three decades.In later years, Zia faced multiple corruption cases, which her party described as politically motivated. She was jailed in 2018 and remained largely confined due to illness after being granted temporary release in 2020.
