Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia, has died at the age of 80. The BNP said Zia passed away early Tuesday morning. The party’s media cell confirmed her death through a statement posted on social media.
According to the BNP, Khaleda Zia died at around 6:00 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayer. She had been unwell for several months and was receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. Her son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Dhaka from London on December 25 after 17 years. Khaleda Zia died less than five days after his return.
Khaleda Zia was active in Bangladeshi politics for more than four decades. She entered politics following the assassination of her husband, Ziaur Rahman. After Ziaur Rahman, who was serving as President, was assassinated in 1981, Khaleda Zia assumed leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
She became the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1991 after the BNP won the general election. She later returned to power in 2001 and led the government until 2006. The BNP boycotted the last three parliamentary elections.
In 2024, Khaleda Zia supported a movement launched against then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The BNP is currently regarded as the largest political party in Bangladesh, and there has been discussion about its prospects of returning to power in the upcoming elections.
During Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, Khaleda Zia was imprisoned. Her son Tarique Rahman was also convicted in several cases. However, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus granted legal relief to both Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, clearing them of those cases.
