Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and BNP leader, dies at 80

Begum Khaleda Zia no more

Former Bangladesh prime minister and long-time Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia died early Tuesday while undergoing medical treatment in Dhaka, her party confirmed. She was 80.

Khaleda Zia passed away at 6 am at the capital’s Apollo Hospital, according to A.K.M. Wahiduzzaman, BNP’s ICT Affairs Secretary and head of its Online Activists Network. The BNP Media Cell later confirmed the news through its verified Facebook page.

Senior BNP leaders said Zia’s condition had worsened significantly overnight. BNP standing committee member Dr Zahid Hossain told reporters earlier that she was passing through “an extremely critical phase.”

Party sources said her son Tarique Rahman, along with close family members including Zubaida Rahman and Zaima Rahman, had visited her at the hospital late Monday night and left shortly before 2 am.

Zia, the widow of former president Ziaur Rahman, had been suffering from prolonged health complications. Her condition deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, and she had been admitted to the hospital on November 26 for what proved to be her final stay.

A dominant figure in Bangladesh’s politics for decades, Khaleda Zia served as prime minister three times and led the BNP through multiple election cycles, political upheavals, and mass movements. She remained one of the country’s most influential and polarising leaders, shaping national politics for more than three decades.

Political leaders across party lines expressed condolences as news of her death spread, with tributes pouring in recognising her long public life and role in Bangladesh’s democratic journey.

Further details regarding funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family and the BNP.