The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said Khaleda Zia passed away at 6:00 am, shortly after the Fajr (dawn) prayer.
“We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” the party said.
Despite years of illness and imprisonment, many believed Zia could return to power. She had vowed in November to campaign in elections scheduled for February 2026, after Sheikh Hasina was forced from power last year.
She had been in hospital in late November as her health worsened due to multiple medical problems. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus had called her a “source of utmost inspiration for the nation”.
Khaleda Zia: History
Born on 15 August 1945 in Jalpaiguri, in the then undivided Dinajpur district of Bengal Province in British India (now in West Bengal, India), Khaleda Zia came into the national spotlight after her husband, Ziaur Rahman, became president in 1977. His rule ended abruptly when he was killed in a military coup in 1981.
After his death, she entered politics and helped build a mass movement against military rule. That movement ended dictatorship in 1990, clearing the way for democratic elections.
Her rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, whose father was also a national leader, became one of the most defining features of Bangladesh’s political life.
Khaleda Zia: Career
Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister in 1991, serving until 1996. She returned to power in 2001 and served until 2006.
During her second term, Bangladesh ranked as the world’s most corrupt country in the Corruption Perceptions Index between 2001 and 2005.
After leaving office, political unrest led to a military-backed caretaker government. In 2018, she was jailed on corruption charges under Sheikh Hasina’s government. Zia said the cases were politically motivated.
She was moved to hospital in 2019 and later released on house arrest on humanitarian grounds. In November 2024, the Supreme Court acquitted her in the final corruption case, clearing the way for a possible political comeback.
Earlier this year, she returned to Bangladesh after medical treatment in the UK. The interim government had allowed her to travel abroad after previous requests were rejected many times.
Khaleda Zia Family
Khaleda Zia was married to former president Ziaur Rahman. Her elder son, Tarique Rahman, is the acting chairman of the BNP and returned to Bangladesh this week after 17 years in self-imposed exile. He is expected to lead the party into the February 12 general election and could be named prime minister if the BNP wins.
Her younger son, Arafat Rahman “Koko”, died of a heart attack in 2015.
Several members of her family were also active in politics, including her sister Khurshid Jahan and brother Sayeed Iskander.
Inputs from agencies