Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Passes Away
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister passes away. Bangladesh ‘s first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has passed away after a long illness. Her opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) confirmed the news on Tuesday. According to a report, 80-year-old Khaleda Zia was suffering from liver cirrhosis. Her doctors said she was also suffering from arthritis and diabetes and had a heart condition. Two-time Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice, first from 1991 to 1996 and second from 2001 to 2006. She is the wife of former President and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Ziaur Rahman. Her eldest son, Tariq Rahman, the BNP’s acting chairman, had been living in London since 2008 and returned to Bangladesh this month. Her younger son, Arafat Rahman, died of a heart attack in 2015.
Amid political unrest, Khaleda Zia was released from prison on August 6, 2024. She then went to London for advanced medical treatment, where she returned to Bangladesh on May 6 after a four-month stay.
For decades, Bangladeshi politics has
been dominated by Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina and BNP chief Khaleda Zia… the media has dubbed this political rivalry the “War of the Begums”. In almost every election since 1990, power has been in the hands of either Sheikh Hasina or Khaleda Zia. The two leaders campaigned together against military rule in the 1980s, but their political rivalry has deepened since the restoration of democracy in 1991 and Khaleda Zia becoming prime minister.
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