Bangladesh Defense
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Date of Event:
Dec 31, 2025
End of an Era: A look back at former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s life and legacy
M Azizur Rahman
Published :
Dec 30, 2025 14:41
Updated :
Dec 30, 2025 14:41
Begum Khaleda Zia, the country’s first elected female Prime Minister and one of the nation’s most enduring political figures, passed away on Tuesday morning at 6 am in Evercare Hospital.
The death of the Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the age of 80, marks the end of a remarkable era in South Asian politics, closing a life defined by resilience, uncompromising struggle, and a steadfast commitment to democracy.
She had been receiving treatment for multiple complex health issues, including liver and kidney complications, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and infection-related problems since her release from confinement following a fabricated case.
Despite the best efforts of medics, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was placed on life support and undergoing regular dialysis over the past several months.
For more than four decades, Khaleda Zia stood at the center of Bangladesh’s turbulent political landscape, embodying both the hopes and the hardships of a nation in transition.
From Homemaker to National Leader
Born into a traditional household, Khaleda Zia began her life as a homemaker. Her entry into politics was neither planned nor conventional.
She joined into politics following requests from BNP leaders and supporters in January 1982, seven months after the assassination of her beloved husband, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman by renegade army officers in May 1981.
At the time, she was not yet forty. Initially appointed Senior Vice Chairperson, she later became Acting Chairperson and eventually Chairperson of the party. Her rise was swift, but it was also fraught with challenges. Many doubted whether a woman with no prior political experience could lead a major party in a male‑dominated society. Yet Khaleda Zia defied expectations, gradually transforming herself into a determined, courageous leader.
The Anti‑Ershad Movement and the “Uncompromising Leader”
Her political identity was forged in the crucible of struggle against military dictatorship in 1983 when she led the formation of a seven‑party alliance to topple General Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s regime.
For nine years, she spearheaded relentless protests, boycotts, and demonstrations. Arrested three times during this period, she earned the reputation of being an “uncompromising leader.”
The mass uprising of 1990 finally toppled Ershad. In the general election of February 1991, BNP won overwhelming public support. Khaleda Zia contested five constituencies — Bogura‑7, Dhaka‑5, Dhaka‑9, Feni‑1, and Chattogram‑8 — and won all of them by large margins. With BNP’s victory, she became Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister, and only the second woman in any Muslim‑majority country to hold that office.
Electoral Record Without Defeat
Khaleda Zia’s electoral record remains unmatched in Bangladesh’s history. Across five general elections, she contested 23 constituencies and won every single one. Even in elections where BNP failed to form government, she remained undefeated in her constituencies.
In 1996, she contested five seats — Bogura‑6, Bogura‑7, Feni‑1, Lakshmipur‑2, and Chattogram‑1 — and won them all, though the Awami League formed government. In 2001, she again contested five constituencies, including Bogura and Khulna, and won each by overwhelming margins, returning as Prime Minister for a third term.
In 2008, when the Election Commission limited candidates to three constituencies, she contested Bogura‑6, Bogura‑7, and Feni‑1 — and won all three.
Trials and Personal Sacrifices
In her political career, Begum Khaleda Zia was arrested a total of five times—three during the anti-Ershad movement, once under the army-backed caretaker government in 2007, and once during the rule of the Awami League government.
After joining active politics on 3 January 1982, she was arrested three times during the anti-Ershad movement: on 28 November 1983, 3 May 1984, and 11 November 1987. However, in those instances she was not imprisoned for long periods.
In 2007, amid a political crisis when the army-backed caretaker government assumed power, Khaleda Zia was arrested. On 3 September 2007, police detained her from her residence on Moinul Haque Road in the cantonment area. When her bail petition was rejected, she was confined in a special sub-jail set up within the National Parliament complex.
During this imprisonment, she observed both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha inside prison, meeting family members on the festival days. At that time, her two sons—Tarique Rahman and the late Arafat Rahman Koko—were also incarcerated.
In January 2008, following her mother’s death, she was released on parole for six hours to see her mother’s body. After nearly 372 days in custody, she was freed on bail on 11 September 2008.
Her resilience was tested again in 2010, when she was evicted from her cantonment residence where she had lived for 28 years.
She moved to a rented house in Gulshan named “Firoza.” In 2013, during intense protests, barricades were placed outside her home to confine her.
She was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison in the fabricated Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases during the Awami League government in 2018.
On 8 February 2018, she was sent to jail—first to the Nazimuddin Road prison, and later, due to health reasons, to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital.
While she was confined, her younger son Koko died in Malaysia in June 2018. Her elder son BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman lived abroad due to ill health.
Reflecting on her losses, she then said: “I lost my husband at a young age. I lost my mother while in prison. I lost a son while confined in my office. Another son remains disabled abroad due to torture. In this life without family, the people of Bangladesh are my family.”
She remained effectively incarcerated for more than two years.
On 25 March 2020, the government suspended her sentence conditionally, allowing her to receive treatment at home, which was effectively equivalent to house arrest. She remained politically confined until the student–people’s mass uprising of 2024.
Subsequently, following the July Revolution, her sentence was annulled by an executive order of the President. On 27 November of the same year, she was acquitted of the corruption cases.
Through her long years of imprisonment and political struggle, Begum Khaleda Zia left behind a unique and significant chapter in the political history of Bangladesh.
Legacy and Final Years
In her later years, Khaleda Zia came to be respected by all sections of people across party lines as a symbol of unity.
On August 5, 2024, following a mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government, she was released from confinement.
Two days later, at a BNP rally, she delivered a brief video message, urging the nation, “Let us build a society based not on destruction, revenge, or vengeance, but on love, peace, and knowledge.”
Her words reflected the maturity of a leader who had endured decades of struggle, persecution, and sacrifice, yet still envisioned a future rooted in reconciliation.
With her demise, Bangladesh has lost its true guardian, a unifying symbol of sovereignty, independence, and democracy.
M Azizur Rahman
Published :
Dec 30, 2025 14:41
Updated :
Dec 30, 2025 14:41
Begum Khaleda Zia, the country’s first elected female Prime Minister and one of the nation’s most enduring political figures, passed away on Tuesday morning at 6 am in Evercare Hospital.
The death of the Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the age of 80, marks the end of a remarkable era in South Asian politics, closing a life defined by resilience, uncompromising struggle, and a steadfast commitment to democracy.
She had been receiving treatment for multiple complex health issues, including liver and kidney complications, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and infection-related problems since her release from confinement following a fabricated case.
Despite the best efforts of medics, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was placed on life support and undergoing regular dialysis over the past several months.
For more than four decades, Khaleda Zia stood at the center of Bangladesh’s turbulent political landscape, embodying both the hopes and the hardships of a nation in transition.
From Homemaker to National Leader
Born into a traditional household, Khaleda Zia began her life as a homemaker. Her entry into politics was neither planned nor conventional.
She joined into politics following requests from BNP leaders and supporters in January 1982, seven months after the assassination of her beloved husband, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman by renegade army officers in May 1981.
At the time, she was not yet forty. Initially appointed Senior Vice Chairperson, she later became Acting Chairperson and eventually Chairperson of the party. Her rise was swift, but it was also fraught with challenges. Many doubted whether a woman with no prior political experience could lead a major party in a male‑dominated society. Yet Khaleda Zia defied expectations, gradually transforming herself into a determined, courageous leader.
The Anti‑Ershad Movement and the “Uncompromising Leader”
Her political identity was forged in the crucible of struggle against military dictatorship in 1983 when she led the formation of a seven‑party alliance to topple General Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s regime.
For nine years, she spearheaded relentless protests, boycotts, and demonstrations. Arrested three times during this period, she earned the reputation of being an “uncompromising leader.”
The mass uprising of 1990 finally toppled Ershad. In the general election of February 1991, BNP won overwhelming public support. Khaleda Zia contested five constituencies — Bogura‑7, Dhaka‑5, Dhaka‑9, Feni‑1, and Chattogram‑8 — and won all of them by large margins. With BNP’s victory, she became Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister, and only the second woman in any Muslim‑majority country to hold that office.
Electoral Record Without Defeat
Khaleda Zia’s electoral record remains unmatched in Bangladesh’s history. Across five general elections, she contested 23 constituencies and won every single one. Even in elections where BNP failed to form government, she remained undefeated in her constituencies.
In 1996, she contested five seats — Bogura‑6, Bogura‑7, Feni‑1, Lakshmipur‑2, and Chattogram‑1 — and won them all, though the Awami League formed government. In 2001, she again contested five constituencies, including Bogura and Khulna, and won each by overwhelming margins, returning as Prime Minister for a third term.
In 2008, when the Election Commission limited candidates to three constituencies, she contested Bogura‑6, Bogura‑7, and Feni‑1 — and won all three.
Trials and Personal Sacrifices
In her political career, Begum Khaleda Zia was arrested a total of five times—three during the anti-Ershad movement, once under the army-backed caretaker government in 2007, and once during the rule of the Awami League government.
After joining active politics on 3 January 1982, she was arrested three times during the anti-Ershad movement: on 28 November 1983, 3 May 1984, and 11 November 1987. However, in those instances she was not imprisoned for long periods.
In 2007, amid a political crisis when the army-backed caretaker government assumed power, Khaleda Zia was arrested. On 3 September 2007, police detained her from her residence on Moinul Haque Road in the cantonment area. When her bail petition was rejected, she was confined in a special sub-jail set up within the National Parliament complex.
During this imprisonment, she observed both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha inside prison, meeting family members on the festival days. At that time, her two sons—Tarique Rahman and the late Arafat Rahman Koko—were also incarcerated.
In January 2008, following her mother’s death, she was released on parole for six hours to see her mother’s body. After nearly 372 days in custody, she was freed on bail on 11 September 2008.
Her resilience was tested again in 2010, when she was evicted from her cantonment residence where she had lived for 28 years.
She moved to a rented house in Gulshan named “Firoza.” In 2013, during intense protests, barricades were placed outside her home to confine her.
She was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison in the fabricated Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases during the Awami League government in 2018.
On 8 February 2018, she was sent to jail—first to the Nazimuddin Road prison, and later, due to health reasons, to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital.
While she was confined, her younger son Koko died in Malaysia in June 2018. Her elder son BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman lived abroad due to ill health.
Reflecting on her losses, she then said: “I lost my husband at a young age. I lost my mother while in prison. I lost a son while confined in my office. Another son remains disabled abroad due to torture. In this life without family, the people of Bangladesh are my family.”
She remained effectively incarcerated for more than two years.
On 25 March 2020, the government suspended her sentence conditionally, allowing her to receive treatment at home, which was effectively equivalent to house arrest. She remained politically confined until the student–people’s mass uprising of 2024.
Subsequently, following the July Revolution, her sentence was annulled by an executive order of the President. On 27 November of the same year, she was acquitted of the corruption cases.
Through her long years of imprisonment and political struggle, Begum Khaleda Zia left behind a unique and significant chapter in the political history of Bangladesh.
Legacy and Final Years
In her later years, Khaleda Zia came to be respected by all sections of people across party lines as a symbol of unity.
On August 5, 2024, following a mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government, she was released from confinement.
Two days later, at a BNP rally, she delivered a brief video message, urging the nation, “Let us build a society based not on destruction, revenge, or vengeance, but on love, peace, and knowledge.”
Her words reflected the maturity of a leader who had endured decades of struggle, persecution, and sacrifice, yet still envisioned a future rooted in reconciliation.
With her demise, Bangladesh has lost its true guardian, a unifying symbol of sovereignty, independence, and democracy.
