Khaleda Zia Passes Away, Leaves Strong Political Legacy

Dhaka, 30 December (Daily Kiran) – Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the country’s first female Prime Minister, passed away this morning at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. According to the BNP’s official Facebook page, Khaleda Zia died at around 6:00 am, shortly after Fajr prayers. BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also confirmed her death.

As reported by The Daily Star, the 80-year-old Khaleda was admitted to Evercare Hospital on 23 November. She was suffering from heart and lung infections and was also battling pneumonia. Since her return from London in May this year after advanced medical treatment, Khaleda had been undergoing regular check-ups at the hospital.

Khaleda Zia first took office as Prime Minister following her victory in the 1991 general elections. She is survived by her son Tarique, his wife, and their daughter. Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on 25 December after 17 years in exile. Khaleda’s younger son Arafat Rahman Coco passed away in Malaysia several years ago.

In February 2018, Khaleda was imprisoned on corruption charges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was granted temporary bail on 25 March 2020 with conditions to remain at her Gulshan residence and not leave the country. Khaleda was fully released on 6 August this year.

Khaleda Zia was born in 1945 in Jalpaiguri. She completed her early education at Dinajpur Missionary School and later matriculated from Dinajpur Girls School in 1960. Her father, Iskander Majumdar, was a businessman, and her mother, Tayeba Majumdar, was a homemaker. Known affectionately as Putul, Khaleda was the second among three sisters and two brothers.

In 1960, she married Ziaur Rahman, a captain in the Pakistan Army who later joined the 1971 Liberation War. After his assassination on 30 May 1981, the BNP faced a serious crisis. Khaleda joined the party during this difficult period and became its vice-chairperson on 12 January 1984, then chairperson on 10 May 1984.

Under her leadership, BNP formed the Four-Party Alliance in 1983 and launched a movement against the military regime of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Despite challenges, she continued the movement fearlessly. In 1991, BNP emerged as the single largest party and Khaleda was sworn in as Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister on 20 March 1991.

She won the February 1996 elections and became Prime Minister for a second term, though the major opposition parties boycotted the polls. Following demands for a caretaker government, the parliament was dissolved and a neutral caretaker government took charge. In the June 1996 elections under this caretaker administration, BNP was defeated by the Awami League, and Khaleda served as Leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001.

In the October 2001 elections, the BNP-led alliance won a two-thirds majority, and Khaleda took oath as Prime Minister for a third time on 10 October 2001. When a military-backed caretaker government took over in 2007, Khaleda was imprisoned along with other political leaders including Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina. She was later released and contested the 2008 elections, which BNP lost.

BNP boycotted the 2014 parliamentary elections, resulting in the party being out of parliament for the first time since 1991. In February 2018, a special court sentenced Khaleda to five years in prison for the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case, which was later extended to 10 years by the High Court. She was also convicted in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Khaleda Zia’s health and political journey were marked by resilience and determination. Her passing marks the end of an era for Bangladesh’s political history.

— (Daily Kiran) Mukund