Broken Barriers, Bitter Rivalries: The Life And Death Of Khaleda Zia | India News

On Tuesday, December 30, Bangladesh lost one of its most powerful political figures. The country’s first female Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, has passed away at the age of 80 after battling numerous health problems, including liver disease, diabetes and heart complications. His death marks the end of an era in Bangladeshi politics, but his impact will echo for generations.

Who was Khaleda Zia? To understand him, we first need to understand the family he married into, namely the Zia family, which shaped the destiny of Bangladesh after independence.

Khaleda was born as Khaleda Khanam “Putul” in Feni in 1945 into a family of tea merchants. When she was just 15 years old, she married Ziaur Rahman, a young army officer who would later become one of Bangladesh’s most important leaders. For nearly two decades, she stayed away from politics and quietly raised their two sons, Tariq and Arafat Rahman, while her husband rose to power.

Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, was a war hero who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. After leading rebel forces against Pakistan, he became the country’s leader from 1975 to 1981. He founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and initiated policies that emphasized Islamic identity as well as economic development. However, his reign came to an abrupt end when disgruntled army officers assassinated him on 30 March 1981.

Everything changed overnight for Khaleda. As he later admitted, he never wanted to enter politics. But pressure from party leaders and public opinion pushed him forward. The BNP had no strong leader left; Zia had created such a dominant image that no one could replace him. The party desperately needed someone who could rally support as military leader Hussain Muhammad Ershad cracked down on the opposition.

Khaleda officially took charge of the BNP in 1984. Around the same time, Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, became the head of the Awami League. These two women, both thrust into politics due to family tragedies, would define the political landscape of Bangladesh for decades. People called them “fighting Begums”.

Throughout the 1980s, Khaleda and Hasina led mass street movements against Ershad’s authoritarian rule. Despite their differences, they sometimes united against their common enemy. In 1990, months of protests eventually removed Ershad from power; much like the 2024 uprising that removed Hasina from power.

In 1991, elections were held in Bangladesh under a neutral interim government. BNP won and Khaleda became Prime Minister for the first time. She was making history as the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

His first term (1991-96) brought real successes. His education reforms significantly increased literacy rates, which were just 35% when he took office. Economic policies attracted foreign investments. She strengthened local government, continuing her husband’s vision of strengthening village-level institutions.

However, his second term (2001-06) revealed his true political ideology, which positioned India as the primary enemy of Bangladesh. This wasn’t just a political stance; It was a calculated strategy that fundamentally shaped regional relations.

Also Read: Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia Dies at the Age of 80 in Dhaka After Prolonged Illness

To gain a strong parliamentary majority, Khalida allied with hard-line Islamist groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and supported Pakistan. This alliance came at a price: a sharply anti-India foreign policy that served Pakistan’s interests.

Under Khaleda’s government, Bangladesh became a safe haven for anti-India militant and separatist groups. These organizations have created a serious security crisis by using Bangladeshi territory as a launching pad for violent attacks on India’s Northeastern states. India protested repeatedly but Khaleda’s government turned a blind eye.

The BNP has actively promoted anti-India sentiments as a core part of its identity. Khaleda deliberately presented the BNP as the guardian of “Islamic Bengal”, comparing it to India’s West Bengal, which she described as predominantly Hindu. This wasn’t just rhetoric; It was politics. His government has promoted closer ties with Pakistan, calling it an “Islamic brother nation” while portraying India as the enemy.

Water sharing disputes increased dramatically during his tenure. The Teesta River issue and other cross-border water conflicts remain unresolved due to his government’s refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations with New Delhi. Each dispute was framed as India’s aggression against Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

Jamaat leaders, now mainstream politicians in the coalition, have openly advocated strengthening ties with Pakistan while opposing cooperation with India. This represented a striking reversal; The country that emerged from Pakistan’s oppression was now embracing its former oppressor, while establishing hostility with the neighbor who helped liberate it in 1971.

Political analysts note that anti-India messaging has long been a part of the BNP ideology, but Khaleda has weaponized it to differentiate her party from the Awami League, which she accuses of being “a puppet of India”. This polarized Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards a false choice: either side with Islamic Pakistan or you were an agent of India.

In 2006–07, Khaleda attempted to manipulate the interim government system before elections. The strategy backfired. Sheikh Hasina defeated him decisively in 2008 and spent the next 15 years systematically weakening the BNP through corruption charges, arrests and legal cases.

Khaleda’s health deteriorated starting in 2010. When protests against Hasina broke out in August 2024, Khaleda was too ill to return to politics – although she welcomed the “revolution”. His son Tariq Rahman, who returned from exile just five days before his death on December 25, now carries the family’s political torch.

As Bangladesh mourns Khaleda Zia today, her legacy remains deeply controversial. As the first female Prime Minister in a conservative society, she broke barriers and stood tall against military dictatorship. But it also legitimized those who opposed Bangladesh’s independence, codified anti-India sentiments into state policy, and allowed militants to operate freely on Bangladeshi soil.

His political choices remind us that leadership is not just about breaking glass ceilings, it’s about what you build next that matters. Khaleda constructed a politics of religious identity and regional antagonism that still shapes Bangladesh today. Whether this is a legacy to be honored or overcome remains the question Bangladesh must answer.

(Girish Linganna is a Defense, Aerospace and Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)