The political landscape of Bangladesh has been irrevocably altered with the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at the age of 80. Her passing was confirmed in a statement released by her party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Tuesday 30 December 2025.
A Political Rivalry That Defined a Nation
Zia's career was inextricably linked with that of her great rival, another former premier, Sheikh Hasina. Their personal and political feud dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades. Zia made history as the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh, securing her first term in 1991. She would serve again from 2001 to 2006.
Her final years were overshadowed by legal battles. Zia was sentenced to 17 years in prison in two separate corruption cases, which she and her party insisted were politically motivated. In a significant turn, the Supreme Court acquitted her in the last remaining case in January 2025, clearing a path for a potential electoral comeback that never materialised.
Health, Prison, and a Final Journey Abroad
Zia's health became a central political issue. After being released from prison on health grounds in 2020, she was confined to a rented home in Dhaka. The BNP stated that her family made at least 18 requests to the Hasina administration to allow Zia to seek medical treatment overseas, all of which were denied.
The situation changed following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus granted Zia permission to travel. She flew to London in January 2025 for treatment, returning to Bangladesh in May. Her last public appearance was at a Bangladesh military function on 21 November, where she was seen in a wheelchair looking pale and tired.
A Legacy Forged in Turbulence
Khaleda Zia's life was shaped by the nation's violent birth and turbulent politics. Her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, seized power in 1977 and founded the BNP before being assassinated in a 1981 military coup. Zia herself later earned public admiration for her uncompromising stance against military dictatorship, helping to build a mass movement that eventually toppled dictator H.M. Ershad in 1990.
Her political tenure was not without controversy. Her 2001-2006 government was a coalition with the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, and she faced allegations of allowing Indian insurgents to operate from Bangladesh. Her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was accused of running a parallel government and widespread corruption during this period.
The rivalry with Hasina's Awami League led to repeated electoral boycotts. The BNP sat out the 2014 election and again in 2024, allowing Hasina to secure consecutive victories in polls widely criticised as lacking genuine competition.
Khaleda Zia is survived by Tarique Rahman, the BNP's acting chairman since 2018 and her political heir. Her younger son, Arafat, died in 2015. Her death closes a major chapter in the history of South Asian politics, leaving a complex legacy of democratic struggle, personal resilience, and deep-seated partisan division.
