Khaleda Zia dies: Life, legacy and rule of Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister explained

Begum Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's former Prime Minister, died on Tuesday, December 30, after suffering from prolonged illness. She was 80.

Begum Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) breathed her last at 6 AM, according to a statement issued by her party.

The three-time former Prime Minister's death comes at a crucial time in Bangladesh's democratic history. Her son, Tarique Rahman, widely considered the front-runner to be the next prime minister of Bangladesh, returned to the country after 17 years in exile ahead of landmark general elections in Bangladesh.

Rahman, who has lived in London since 2008, is expected to become the country's new leader if the BNP emerges as the largest party.

Rahman's return comes in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina being ousted last year. Hasina is living in exile in India and her party is unlikely to be permitted to take part in the elections.

Who was Begum Khaleda Zia?

Begum Zia is one of Bangladesh’s most influential political figures and a two-time prime minister, best known as the longtime chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Alongside now exiled Sheikh Hasina, Zia dominated the country’s politics for more than three decades, shaping a deeply polarised political landscape.

Begum Zia served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. In February 1996, Khaleda Zia won a controversial election that was boycotted by the opposition. She served as Prime Minister for about three weeks (Feb–March 1996) before resigning amid protests, leading to a caretaker government and fresh elections. Some commentators count this brief stint separately, calling it a third term.

She was the first woman in Bangladesh's history and second in the Muslim world (after Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan) to head a democratic government as prime minister. Her first term as Bangladesh's PM marked Bangladesh’s return to parliamentary democracy after years of military rule

Begum Khaleda Zia's father had migrated to what was then West Pakistan following Partition from Jalpaiguri in India where he had run a tea business. She studied at Dinajpur Government Girls High School and later at Surendranath College.

Born on August 15, 1945, in Dinajpur (then East Bengal), Begum Zia rose to prominence after the assassination of her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, in 1981. Ziaur Rahman, a former army chief and independence war hero, founded the BNP and ruled Bangladesh from 1977 until his death. Begum Zia had married Ziaur Rahman in 1960.

Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in 1981. BNP vice-president, Justice Abdus Sattar, took over as the acting president and also the chairman of the BNP. Justice Sattar was overthrown by the then Chief of the Bangladesh Army, General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who declared martial law on March 24, 1982.

BNP Vice President in 1983

Begim Zia formally took over as chairperson of the BNP in 1984 and emerged as a central figure in the mass movement against Ershad, which led to his fall in 1990.

Begum Zia denounced the rigged election of 1986 and did not participate in the election while her rivals from Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Communist Party of Bangladesh joined the election under Jatiya Party-led rule.

Begum Zia was detained seven times from 1983 to 1990. She led the mobilisation of BNP's student front, Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal (JCD) and they won 270 of 321 student unions across the country. These students were instrumental in the movement that led to the fall of Ershad's regime in 1990.

First Woman PM of Bangladesh

Begum Khaleda Zia became the country's first woman prime minister in 1991. She became the prime minister for a second consecutive term in 1996 after the BNP had a landslide victory. She resigned within a month as her second term was marred by allegations of corruption, political violence, Islamist militancy, and strained civil-military relations.

The BNP lost the fresh election in June 1996. In 1999, the BNP formed a four-party opposition alliance in 1999 with the Jatiya Party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Islami Oikya Jote and launched several agitation programs against the ruling Awami League.

Begum Zia was elected in five separate parliamentary constituencies in the general elections of 1991, 1996 and 2001. In 2008, she won in all three constituencies from where she contested.

Rivalry with Sheikh Hasina

Khaleda Zia’s rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League and daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is one of South Asia’s most enduring political feuds.

The political animosity between the two leaders has often paralysed governance, triggered street protests, and led to repeated election boycotts.

In September 2007, Begum Zia was arrested on charges of corruption.

After Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2009, Begum Zia faced a series of corruption cases. In 2018, she was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case and sentenced to prison, effectively barring her from contesting elections. She has consistently denied wrongdoing, calling the cases politically motivated.

Due to deteriorating health, she was released from prison in 2020 and allowed to remain under house arrest, later receiving medical treatment abroad.

Ties with India

New Delhi traditionally viewed Khaleda Zia dispensation in Bangladesh as less predictable and less cooperative, especially on security matters. New Delhi warmed more to Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, seeing her as a more reliable partner.

Khaleda Zia’s India connection is usually defined more by distance than engagement. While she did not sever ties with New Delhi, her leadership marked a period of cool relations, and limited strategic cooperation. This is a sharp contrast to the close India–Bangladesh partnership that developed during Sheikh Hasina’s rule in Bangladesh.

It is another matter that India-Bangladesh ties have worsened recently. After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, the ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have cooled significantly. Analysts describe the period as a shift from a ‘golden era’ of cooperation to one marked by suspicion, reduced engagement and diplomatic unease.

The current interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been perceived in India as less aligned with New Delhi’s strategic interests. The recent lynching and public burning of a 25-year-old Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, in Bangladesh sparked protests in India in New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and other cities calling for protection of minorities and strong diplomatic action.

(With agency inputs)