Khaleda Zia: Bangladesh’s first woman PM with Indian roots and a decades-long rivalry with Sheikh Hasina
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said that Khaleda Zia passed away at 6:00 am, shortly after the morning prayers.
“We pray for the forgiveness of his soul and request everyone to pray for his deceased soul,” the party said.
Despite years of illness and imprisonment, many believed Zia could return to power. He had promised in November to campaign in elections scheduled for February 2026 after Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power last year.
He was hospitalized in late November as his health deteriorated due to numerous medical problems. Interim leader Mohammed Younis called him “the greatest inspiration for the nation”.
Khaleda Zia: History
Born on 15 August 1945 in Jalpaiguri in the then undivided Dinajpur district of the Bengal Province of British India (now in West Bengal, India), Khaleda Zia came into the national spotlight after her husband Ziaur Rahman became president in 1977. His reign ended abruptly when he was killed in a military coup in 1981.
After his death, he entered politics and helped create a mass movement against military rule. This movement ended the dictatorship in 1990, paving the way for democratic elections.
His rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, whose father was also a national leader, has become one of the defining features of Bangladesh’s political life.
Khaleda Zia: Career
Khaleda Zia became the first female prime minister of Bangladesh in 1991 and served until 1996. He returned to power in 2001 and served until 2006.
In its second term, Bangladesh was listed as the most corrupt country in the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index between 2001 and 2005.
Political unrest after he left office led to the formation of a military-backed caretaker government. He was jailed on corruption charges in 2018 during the Sheikh Hasina government. Zia said the cases were politically motivated.
He was hospitalized in 2019 and was later released under house arrest on humanitarian grounds. In November 2024, the Supreme Court acquitted him in the final corruption case, paving the way for a possible political comeback.
He returned to Bangladesh after medical treatment in England earlier this year. The interim government had allowed him to travel abroad after previous requests were rejected multiple times.
Halide Zia Family
Khaleda Zia was married to former president Ziaur Rahman. His elder son Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the BNP, returned to Bangladesh this week after living in self-imposed exile for 17 years. He is expected to lead the party in the February 12 general elections and could be appointed prime minister if the BNP wins.
His younger son Arafat Rahman “Koko” died of a heart attack in 2015.
Many members of his family, including his sister Khurshid Jahan and brother Sayeed Iskander, were also active in politics.
Input from agencies
