Khaleda Zia death: Condoling the death of former Bangladesh PM Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said her contributions towards India-Bangladesh relations will be remembered.
Zia passed away on December 30 after suffering from a prolonged illness. She was 80. The chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) breathed her last at 6 am on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by her party.
In a post on X, PM Modi offered his condolences to her family, and said, “Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. Our sincerest condolences to her family and all the people of Bangladesh. May the Almighty grant her family the fortitude to bear this tragic loss.”
Noting that Zia was the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, PM Modi said, “…her important contributions towards the development of Bangladesh, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered.”
“I recall my warm meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015. We hope that her vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership,” he said, while sharing two pictures from the meeting. “May her soul rest in peace.”
Begum Khaleda Zia was the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). She has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times since 1991.
She became the first woman to be elected as the prime minister of Bangladesh, and the second in the Muslim world.
What happened to Khaleda Zia?
Doctor Professor FM Siddique said Khaleda Zia succumbed to a cardiac arrest.
We declared her death after she succumbed to a cardiac arrest... Now our duty is to keep her in here in the mortuary until the government and the party decide what needs to be done now. We have lost a patriot today," he told ANI.
Khaleda Zia was earlier reported to have been “extremely critical.”
On December 11, she was placed on “ventilator support to give rest to her lungs and other vital organs.”
"It cannot be said that her condition has improved. She is passing through an extremely critical phase,” Dr AZM Zahid was quoted by news agency PTI as saying during a briefing held shortly after midnight on Saturday outside Evercare Hospital, without prior notice.
Doctors earlier told Reuters that Zia had liver disease, diabetes and heart problems.
