Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections in 2026 to lead her country once again, died on Dec 30 aged 80, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Ms Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026 – the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
The BNP is widely seen as a front runner, and Ms Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Dec 25 after 17 years in exile, is seen a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
In late November, Ms Zia was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics,
her condition declined
from a raft of health issues.
Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers on Dec 29 submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for the polls.
“The BNP chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6am (8am Singapore time), just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer,” the party said in a statement.
“We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” it added.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Bangladesh “has lost a great guardian”.
“Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Ms Zia’s “vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership”, a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina’s fall.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Ms Zia had been a “committed friend” to Islamabad, while China’s ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen offered his condolences.
“China will continue to maintain its longstanding and friendly ties with the BNP,” he said.
Prison over luxury
Braving cold rain, mourners gathered on the morning of Dec 30 outside the hospital in Dhaka where Ms Zia’s body rests.
“This is an irreparable loss for the nation,” senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters, his voice choking with emotion.
“She chose prison over luxury and spent years behind bars,” said Mr Golam Kibria, 29, a BNP loyalist who said he was tortured under Hasina’s government.
He called Ms Zia an “unmatched leader who can never be replaced”.
Three-time prime minister Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.
She was released in 2024, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.
Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.
There were plans earlier in December to fly her on a special air ambulance to London, but her condition was not stable enough.
“I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul,” Hasina said, in a statement on social media by her now banned Awami League party.
Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper, who said that Ms Zia “earned the epithet of the ‘uncompromising leader’”, reported that Mr Rahman and other family members were by her side at the time of her death.
“The lives of politicians are marked by rises and falls,” the newspaper wrote on Dec 30.
“Lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution and attacks by adversaries are far from uncommon. Khaleda Zia endured such ordeals at their most extreme.” AFP
