Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief Khaleda Zia breathed her last at 6 am on Tuesday. The stalwart leader died at the age of 80.
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| Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia No More | Image: File |
Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia breathed her last at 6 am on Tuesday. The stalwart leader who was the chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) died at the age of 80.
"The BNP Chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am, just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer," her party said in a statement.
The BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayer. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un. We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul. pic.twitter.com/KY2948UPD5
— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) December 30, 2025
"We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul," it added.
Begum Khaleda Zia was receiving treatment at Dhaka's Evercare Hospital where she was admitted for lung infection, ANI reports suggested. She had been "extremely unwell" for the last 36 days and was put on ventilator support. She has been suffering from various physical ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications, for a long time. Earlier this month, Zia was also sent to London for advanced medical treatment for her ailments.
Zia, was hospitalised on November 23 when she developed a chest infection that affected both her heart and lungs. Four days later, the three-time Prime Minister was shifted to the coronary care unit after several of her health complications worsened. Both local and international medical specialists were overseeing her treatment.
Who Was Khaleda Zia?
Khaleda Zia had served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for three times since 1991. She was the first woman to be elected to the top post .
Born in 1946 in Jalpaiguri, in the then-undivided Dinajpur District, she was married to Ziaur Rahman, the former military dictator-turned-President of Bangladesh who was assassinated in 1981.
After Ziaur Rahman's death, Khaleda joined the BNP as a general member. She was later elevated to the vice-chairperson of the party in 1983 and then its chairperson a year later. She was credited to be the chief architect of forming a seven-party alliance in 1983 which successfully put an end to the former Chief of the Bangladesh Army General Hussain Muhammad Ershad's rule.
What's At Stake At Bangladesh Now
The death of the BNP Chief comes at the backdrop of political turmoil in Bangladesh as the nation heads for its first national elections after Shiekh Hasina's ouster.
Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, who is the Acting Chairman of the party, retured to Dhaka last week after 17 years in exile. According to reports, Rahman is expected to steer the party into the elections, the outcome of which will have a wide imprint across the South Asian region.
