Khaleda Zia Death News Updates: Jaishankar to attend funeral in Dhaka tomorrow
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia waves to supporters after she was arrested, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, September. 3, 2007. (AP Photo)
Khaleda Zia Death News Live Updates: Former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia, a central figure in the country’s politics for more than three decades and the first woman to lead the government, has died at the age of 80, her party said on Tuesday. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced her death in a statement. She had faced corruption cases she said were politically motivated, but in January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in the last corruption case against her, which let her run in February’s election. In fact, Zia’s nomination for the February 12 elections was filed a day ago from the Feni-1 constituency.
Who was Khaleda Zia: Khaleda Zia served three terms as prime minister — from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. Her long political rivalry with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shaped Bangladesh’s politics for a generation. During her first term, her government restored the parliamentary system and expanded access to education, including free primary schooling and free education for girls up to Class 10. Her son Tarique Rahman, who is currently the acting chairman of the BNP, returned to Bangladesh last week after 17 years abroad. Her political career was marked by periods of imprisonment, illness and long legal battles, alongside repeated confrontations between the BNP and the ruling Awami League.
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What has been happening in Bangladesh: Khaleda Zia’s death comes ahead of elections scheduled for 12 February. In recent months, Bangladesh has seen political tension and public debate around governance, democracy and minority rights. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last week expressed concern over what it termed “unremitting hostilities” against minorities in Bangladesh, following the lynching of two Hindu men. However, Dhaka rejected criticism from New Delhi over attacks on minorities, saying India’s comments overlooked Bangladesh’s history of communal harmony. At the same time, opposition politics has shifted with Tarique Rahman’s return, which BNP members say has energised party workers ahead of the polls.
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