Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, died at the age of 80 on Tuesday after a long illness, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a statement. Zia had been suffering from several health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and heart issues. She had been receiving treatment at a specialized private hospital in Dhaka.
Khaleda left behind a strong political legacy in Bangladesh and remains an influential figure in South Asian politics.
Who was Khaleda Zia?
Khaleda Zia has an India connection. She was born in 1945 in Jalpaiguri, in the then-undivided Dinajpur district of Bengal Presidency, British India (now Jalpaiguri, India). After the partition, Khaleda and her family moved to Dinajpur town, which is now in Bangladesh. She initially attended Dinajpur Missionary School and later transferred to Dinajpur Girls’ School in 1960.
Khaleda Zia served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times since 1991. She was the first woman elected to this position in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh female PM dies at 80
She was married to Ziaur Rahman, the former President of Bangladesh, who was killed during a coup in 1981. This event marked the start of a nine-year military regime in the country. After Ziaur Rahman’s death, Khaleda led a seven-party alliance to end the rule of former Chief of the Bangladesh Army General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. She also joined the BNP as a general member and became the party’s vice-chairman in 1983. The following year, she was elected as the chairperson.
In 1986,Khaleda Zia rejected the elections and did not take part, while her rivals from the Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Communist Party of Bangladesh participated under Jatiya Party-led rule. Because of her determination, she was arrested seven times from 1983 to 1990.
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