Dhaka, Bangladesh: Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. The senior BNP leader had been unwell for a long time and breathed her last early in the morning, the party confirmed.
In a statement shared on social media, the BNP said doctors declared Khaleda Zia dead shortly before the official announcement. According to the party, she passed away at around 6 am after battling prolonged health complications. She had been admitted to Evercare Hospital, where she was receiving continuous medical care.
The party said her health deteriorated sharply during the night of December 29–30, prompting urgent efforts to shift her abroad for advanced treatment. A special aircraft from Qatar had arrived in Dhaka and was kept on standby at the airport. However, a medical board reportedly did not permit her transfer to London due to her critical condition, and she continued treatment at the Dhaka hospital.
Khaleda Zia’s death comes at a politically sensitive time in Bangladesh, which has been witnessing major developments following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government and the formation of an interim administration. The country is currently in the process of holding fresh elections. Khaleda Zia was also in the electoral fray and had filed her nomination for the Bogra-7 constituency on December 29, just hours before her health worsened.
A towering figure in Bangladesh politics, Khaleda Zia holds the distinction of being the country’s first woman prime minister. She first assumed office in 1991 and later served two more terms as head of the government. After Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, Khaleda Zia was the second woman to lead a Muslim-majority nation as prime minister, leaving a lasting imprint on the political landscape of Bangladesh.
