Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away on Tuesday at 6 am while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She was 80. Zia had been admitted to the hospital on November 23 and was receiving treatment for the past 36 days for heart and lung infections. She was also suffering from pneumonia, according to local media reports.

Khaleda Zia had been battling multiple health issues for several years, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic problems affecting her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyes. Her treatment was being supervised by medical specialists from Bangladesh, the UK, the US, China, and Australia. An effort to shift her abroad for advanced treatment earlier this month could not proceed due to her fragile condition.

She is survived by her elder son Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, and their daughter Zaima Rahman. Her younger son, Arafat Rahman Koko, died earlier in Malaysia. Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after spending 17 years in exile.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over her death and offered condolences to her family and the people of Bangladesh. In a post on X, Modi said Khaleda Zia’s contributions as the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh and her role in strengthening India-Bangladesh relations would always be remembered. He also recalled his meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015.

Khaleda Zia formally entered politics after the assassination of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, in 1981. Ziaur Rahman had founded the BNP before he was killed. To keep the party united, Khaleda Zia joined the BNP and became its chairperson in 1984.

She emerged as a key leader during the mass movement that ended military rule under H M Ershad in 1990, initially working alongside Sheikh Hasina. However, the alliance soon turned into a long and bitter rivalry that came to dominate Bangladeshi politics, with the two leaders often referred to as the “Battling Begums.”

In the 1991 parliamentary elections, BNP emerged as the single largest party, and Khaleda Zia was sworn in as Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister. During her tenure, she restored the parliamentary system, introduced the caretaker government system to ensure fair elections, made primary education free and compulsory, and encouraged foreign investment.

She returned to power in 2001 with a landslide victory but her second stint was marked by political instability, the rise of militant groups, and corruption allegations. Following street violence and unrest, an army-backed interim government took charge in 2006. Khaleda Zia was jailed briefly in 2007–08 and was later released ahead of the general elections. Khaleda Zia never returned to power. Her rivalry with Sheikh Hasina continued for years, while the BNP boycotted the 2014 and 2024 elections, marking the end of her active political influence.