Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has passed away at the age of 80. She breathed her last while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party confirmed her death through an official social media post. Doctors declared her dead early in the morning after prolonged illness.
According to party sources, Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorated suddenly late on the night of December 29. Preparations were underway to shift her abroad for advanced treatment. A special flight from Qatar had reached Dhaka and remained on standby. However, a medical board denied permission for her transfer to London due to her critical condition.
Khaleda Zia played a defining role in Bangladesh’s political history. She was the country’s first woman Prime Minister and led the nation for the first time in 1991. She later served two more terms in office. After Benazir Bhutto, she became the second woman leader to head a Muslim-majority nation.
In recent political developments, Bangladesh entered a transition phase following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government. Khaleda Zia had filed her nomination for the Bogra-7 seat just hours before her death.
Her passing marks the end of an era in Bangladesh politics. Supporters across the country are mourning the loss of a towering political figure.
