Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister, passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at the age of 80. Her party, the BNP, announced her death in a social media post, stating that she died at 6:00 AM. Khaleda Zia had been ill for a long time. Recently, her son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Dhaka from London after 17 years of exile.
Khaleda Zia's Political Career
Khaleda Zia became Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time in 1991, thus becoming the country's first female Prime Minister. She served a second term as Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. Khaleda Zia's husband, Ziaur Rahman, served as President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He founded the BNP party in 1978. Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler turned politician, was assassinated in a military coup on May 30, 1981. Khaleda Zia's political career began after her husband's death.
On January 3, 1982, Khaleda Zia officially began her political career as a member of the BNP. She later became the chairperson of the BNP and held this position until her death. Khaleda Zia emerged as a prominent voice against military rule in Bangladesh. She played a crucial role in uniting people against the military regime.
In 1986, the then-military general Ershad announced presidential elections. Khaleda Zia's alliance and Sheikh Hasina's alliance began campaigning. However, both alliances later announced a boycott of the elections. This significantly increased Khaleda Zia's popularity. Although Sheikh Hasina's alliance later participated in the elections, H.M. Ershad rigged the elections while Sheikh Hasina was under house arrest. Finally, after the end of Ershad's rule in December 1990, elections were held under a caretaker government. The BNP formed the government after these elections. Khaleda Zia amended the constitution, establishing a parliamentary system in the country, and became the country's first female Prime Minister.
Long-standing rivalry with Sheikh Hasina
Khaleda Zia had a long-standing rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the Awami League party. These two women dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades. Both leaders played a significant role in shaping the direction of Bangladeshi politics. However, for the past several years, Sheikh Hasina has held almost absolute power in Bangladeshi politics, largely due to Khaleda Zia's ill health. Khaleda Zia had been ill for a long time and spent extended periods abroad for treatment.
After Sheikh Hasina was removed from power, Khaleda Zia returned to Dhaka recently, but her health did not permit her to participate in public life. Khaleda Zia was suffering from liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and several heart-related problems. In 2018, Khaleda Zia was also jailed on corruption charges. However, Khaleda Zia and her party called this a politically motivated move by Sheikh Hasina.
After the interim government came to power, Khaleda Zia was granted permission to travel abroad.
The Awami League government suspended Khaleda Zia's sentence on medical grounds in 2020 and ordered her to be placed under house arrest. However, she was prohibited from traveling abroad and actively participating in politics. Khaleda Zia received relief from these restrictions only after Sheikh Hasina was removed from power. In January of this year, the interim government of Bangladesh granted Khaleda Zia permission to travel abroad for treatment. After the interim government came to power, all the charges against Khaleda Zia were gradually dropped, and she was acquitted in the corruption cases. Khaleda Zia's Personal Life.
Khaleda Zia was born on August 15, 1946, in Dinajpur district of undivided India. Her mother's name was Tayeba, and her father's name was Iskandar Majumdar. Khaleda's family was involved in the tea business in Jalpaiguri and had migrated from there to Dinajpur. In 1960, Khaleda Zia married Army Captain Ziaur Rahman, who later became the President of Bangladesh. When Khaleda became the chief of the BNP in 1983, several senior leaders of her party left, doubting her capabilities. However, Khaleda later reunited and strengthened the party. During Khaleda Zia's government, relations between Bangladesh and India were not very good, and Khaleda Zia strengthened Bangladesh's relations with China and Islamic countries. However, she did visit India twice.
Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, who is now the acting chairman of the BNP, returned to Bangladesh last week. Khaleda Zia's other son died of a heart attack in 2015.
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