Bangladesh, Dec 30, 2025:
Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away on Tuesday morning.
She breathed her last at around 6:00am on December 30 at the age of 79.
(Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’un)
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told the media at around 7:15am that the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman had informed him of the news.
According to him, Tarique Rahman said, “Mother is no more.”
The BNP Media Cell also confirmed her death through a post on its official Facebook page.
In a separate statement, the party’s verified page said Begum Khaleda Zia passed away shortly after Fajr prayers.
The party expressed deep sorrow and sought prayers for the forgiveness of her soul.
Begum Khaleda Zia had been suffering from multiple health complications for a long time.
Her ailments included heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney-related problems.
She was admitted to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on November 23 after experiencing breathing difficulties.
A medical board comprising local and foreign specialists had been overseeing her treatment.
There were efforts to take her abroad for advanced medical care.
However, her deteriorating physical condition made it impossible.
Khaleda Zia was the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
She served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times, beginning in 1991.
She holds a historic place in the country’s politics.
She was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.
She was also the second elected female head of government in the Muslim world.
Begum Khaleda Zia was born on August 15, 1945, in Dinajpur.
Her parents were Iskandar Majumder and Taiba Majumder.
After the partition of India, her father moved from Jalpaiguri to what was then West Pakistan.
The family’s ancestral home is in Feni.
She studied at Dinajpur Government Girls’ High School.
Later, she pursued higher education at Surendranath College.
In 1960, she married Ziaur Rahman.
After Ziaur Rahman became President, Khaleda Zia served as First Lady.
She accompanied him on several state visits abroad.
During this period, she met a number of global leaders.
They included former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
Following the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman in a failed military coup in 1981, she formally entered politics.
She joined the BNP as a general member on January 2, 1982.
In March 1983, she became vice-chairperson of the party.
In August 1984, she was elected Chairperson of the BNP.
Khaleda Zia leaves behind a remarkable political legacy.
She never lost an election in any constituency she contested.
Between 1991 and 2001, she won elections from five different constituencies.
In the 2008 general election, she contested three seats.
She emerged victorious in all of them.
Her death marks the end of an era in Bangladesh’s political history.
Her passing has triggered widespread reactions across the country.
No comments: