Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and a towering figure in the nation’s turbulent political history, died Tuesday at 80 years old. Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced her death, which occurred at 6am local time at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The government declared three-day state mourning following her passing. A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at the National Parliament building in Dhaka, where the former leader will be laid to rest.
Zia had been admitted to the hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. She suffered from cirrhosis, arthritis and diabetes, conditions that had plagued her health for years.
Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim leader, issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging Zia’s contributions to the country. Yunus stated that her contribution to building democracy, fostering a multi‑party political environment, and advancing the rights of the Bangladeshi people would be remembered for all time.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences in a statement Tuesday, noting that “as the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, her important contributions toward the development of Bangladesh, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered.”
Born August 15, 1946, Zia’s entry into politics came through tragedy. Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in 1981 during a military coup. Rahman had formed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and served as president after gaining prominence in the country’s war of independence from Pakistan.
Following her husband’s death, Zia led resistance against military dictatorship, helping build a mass movement that culminated in the ousting of a dictator. She became prime minister in 1991, serving until 1996, then returned to power from 2001 to 2006. Her two terms as prime minister marked a significant period in Bangladesh’s democratic development.
Zia’s political career was defined by an archrivalry with Sheikh Hasina, whose relationship with the former prime minister dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape for decades. The two women, often called the “battling begums,” alternated in power while maintaining fierce opposition to one another.
Her later years were marked by legal troubles and deteriorating health. Zia was convicted of corruption in 2018, facing charges related to $250,000 in embezzlement. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party maintained the charges were politically motivated, designed to weaken opposition to Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian regime.
After her conviction, Zia was released from prison in 2020 due to illness but remained under house arrest. Her family repeatedly sought permission for medical treatment abroad, but Hasina’s administration rejected these requests 18 times. The political persecution continued until Hasina was ousted in August 2024 following a mass uprising.
Following Hasina’s removal from power, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in a corruption case in January 2025. The acquittal cleared the final legal obstacle that had prevented her from participating in politics. She traveled to London in January for medical treatment and returned to Bangladesh in May.
Her son, Tarique Rahman, had lived in exile but returned to Bangladesh in January 2025. Rahman has served as the party’s acting chair since 2018 and is expected to lead the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the February 12 general election, the first vote since the uprising that toppled Hasina last year.
The political landscape Zia leaves behind remains deeply divided. Bangladesh’s early years following independence were marked by assassinations, coups and military struggles for power. Zia’s husband had grabbed power as military chief before forming the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was credited with opening democracy in the country before his assassination.
Zia’s first electoral victory in 1991 came against Hasina, daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a coup. This began a pattern of contested elections and political boycotts that would characterize Bangladesh politics for decades.
During her 2001-2006 term, Zia’s government faced criticism for alleged ties to Islamist parties and accusations that her elder son was running a parallel government while engaging in widespread corruption. India alleged that insurgents were allowed to use Bangladesh’s territory to destabilize India’s northeastern states during this period.
The rivalry between Zia and Hasina reached violent extremes. Grenade attacks in Dhaka killed members of Hasina’s Awami League party and wounded hundreds. Hasina narrowly escaped what she characterized as an assassination attempt and blamed Zia’s government and Rahman for the attacks.
Hasina went on to dominate Bangladesh politics for years. Zia’s party boycotted elections in disputes over the caretaker government structure, giving Hasina victories. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party joined elections but boycotted again, allowing Hasina to secure consecutive terms through what critics called controversial elections.
Throughout Hasina’s extended rule, Zia remained chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party despite years of silence on political matters and absence from rallies due to her imprisonment and declining health. She was sentenced to prison across two separate corruption cases, which Hasina’s government maintained were handled independently by the courts despite opposition claims of political interference.
Zia’s last public appearance came at an annual function of the Bangladesh military in Dhaka Cantonment, where Yunus and other political leaders met her. She appeared in a wheelchair, looking pale and tired, a stark contrast to the vigorous opposition leader who had once led street movements against military dictatorship.
She is survived by her elder son, Tarique Rahman, who has become her political heir. Her younger son died years earlier. As Bangladesh prepares for elections, Zia’s death marks the end of an era in which two women shaped the country’s political destiny through decades of rivalry, governance and struggle for democratic control.