New Delhi/Dhaka, Dec 30 (UNI) Begum Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s former prime minister and a controversial figure in the country’s turbulent political life for more than three decades, died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
She was 80.
Her son Tareque Rahman, who had gone into self-imposed exile in the UK, had returned on Christmas to contest elections and be at her bedside.
Her death was confirmed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which she led as chairperson. She died at 6 am at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been undergoing treatment for the past five weeks.
Begum Zia had been admitted to the hospital on November 23 with serious infections affecting her heart and lungs, party officials said.
She was also suffering from pneumonia, and her condition had deteriorated steadily in recent days.
In a statement, the BNP said: “The BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayers.”
Her death marks the end of an era and is likely to aid her party in its electoral efforts as voter sympathy for the dead leader, whose husband, Gen Zia Ur Rahma, was a freedom fighter and former military ruler of the country, is expected to surge.
Begum Zia served twice as prime minister, first from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, becoming the country’s first woman to hold the office through a democratic election. Alongside her longtime rival, Sheikh Hasina, she dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape, their feud shaping the nation’s governance and street politics for decades.
Details of her funeral were still being finalised, party sources said, but services are expected to be held later on Tuesday.
Reacting to her death, former Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Riva Ganguly Das, told UNI, “It’s the end of an era. We have worked with her even when she was in opposition.”
Ambassador Das pointed out that New Delhi had laid out the red carpet for her even when she was in the opposition and visited India.
“Those who say we built relations with only one party are unaware of facts,” she said.
Begum Zia’s legacy, however, has her countrymen and women divided.
Speaking of Begum Zia’s rise, the exiled Bangladeshi poetess and author told UNI, “The Begum had a meteoric rise from being a simple housewife to being Prime Minister for two terms. She lacked nothing in her life except for the two years she spent in jail.”
“She banned many of my books, starting with Lajja … Will those bans be overturned now?”
Award-winning author Taslima predicted that her son Tareque Rahman would win the polls. “Will that be good for us? I don’t know. But at least there will be an end to the chaos that we see now in Bangladesh.”
Former Bangladesh PM Begum Khaleda Zia dies at 80
