Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia Dies At 80 In Dhaka After Prolonged Illness. world news

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has passed away while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early today. According to a post on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s verified Facebook page, Khaleda Zia died at around 6:00am, shortly after the Fajr prayer. Zia’s death comes as a shock for not her family but also for the supporters of the BNP, as she was expected to contest the upcoming national polls in February despite her illness. Just yesterday, her son Tarique Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of exile, filed his nominations papers from Dhaka and Bogura seats.

Khaleda Zia was battling multiple long-standing ailments, including cardiac complications, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney problems. She remained under intensive observation in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital, where both local and international specialist doctors were overseeing her treatment. According to reports, Zia was admitted to Evercare on the night of November 23 on the advice of her medical board after being diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs. As her condition worsened, she was shifted to the CCU on November 27 for round-the-clock monitoring. There was a plan to airlift her to London but the same could not happen due to her health condition.

Who Was Khaleda Zia?

Khaleda Zia was a prominent Bangladeshi political leader and one of the most influential figures in the country’s modern history. Born in 1945, she rose to national prominence after the assassination of her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). She later became the chairperson of the BNP and played a central role in shaping Bangladesh’s politics for decades.

Leading Bangladesh Twice

She served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice, first from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, becoming the country’s first female prime minister. Khaleda Zia was known for her long-running political rivalry with Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League, a rivalry that defined Bangladeshi politics for more than three decades. Her leadership left a lasting impact on the nation’s democratic movements and political landscape.