Bangladesh’s former prime minister and the country’s first woman to hold the post, Khaleda Zia, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness, her party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), confirmed.
According to her medical team, Zia had been battling multiple health complications, including advanced liver cirrhosis, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic chest and heart ailments.
Announcing her death, the BNP said in a Facebook post: “Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, just after Fajr prayer.” The party added, “We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul.”
Her funeral is expected to be held on Wednesday at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo.
Prolonged Illness And Legal Battles
Khaleda Zia had been unwell for several years and was frequently hospitalised. Alongside her health struggles, she faced prolonged legal challenges.
In 2018, she was convicted in a corruption case dating back to 2008 over the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for orphans and sentenced to prison. In 2020, then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina suspended Zia’s sentence on medical grounds, placing her under house arrest with conditions that she would not travel abroad or engage in political activity.
Following Hasina’s ouster from power, Zia was released from house arrest. Earlier this year, in January, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court overturned her 10-year prison sentence, acquitting her in the corruption case. The BNP has consistently maintained that the charges against her were politically motivated.
Political Legacy
Khaleda Zia served as Bangladesh’s prime minister twice — first from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006 — becoming the nation’s first female prime minister. She was the widow of Ziaur Rahman, a former army chief who later served as Bangladesh’s president.
She rose to power through a popular mandate in the 1991 general election. During her tenure, she played a key role in restoring the parliamentary system of governance and introducing the caretaker government mechanism to oversee free and fair elections, according to The Daily Star.
In 2007, amid political unrest, an army-backed caretaker government jailed several senior political leaders, including Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. Zia was later released and contested the 2008 parliamentary elections, though her party failed to return to power.
Khaleda Zia is survived by her elder son, Tarique Rahman, his wife, and their daughter. Tarique returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after spending 17 years in exile.
Her death marks the end of a pivotal chapter in Bangladesh’s political history, defined by rivalry, reform, and enduring influence.
