Death of Khaleda Zia: Who was the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh?

 Death of  Khaleda Zia: Who was the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh?

 

Bangladesh's first female prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80. She had been ill for a long time.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party wrote on the social media site 'Facebook' that 'Our beloved leader is no longer with us. She left us at 6 am.'

Her team of doctors had said on Monday that Khaleda Zia's condition was 'extremely critical' and that her condition was deteriorating rapidly. Khaleda Zia had been ill for the past several months and was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party wrote in its post on the social media site X that 'BNP chairperson and former prime minister of Bangladesh passed away at 6 am shortly after Fajr prayers.'

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in his message on Khaleda Zia's death that 'Begum Zia was a friend of Pakistan.' In his statement, Shehbaz Sharif said that the Pakistani government stands with the people of Bangladesh in this hour of grief.

Begum Khaleda Zia has been active in Bangladeshi politics for the past four decades. She took over the leadership of the party after the assassination of her husband Zia-ur-Rehman.

She became the country's first prime minister in 20 years in 1991 after winning elections.

A two-time prime minister, Khaleda Zia has been embroiled in political corruption allegations and a political tug-of-war between her political rival, the Awami League.

From housewife to prime minister

Her name is Khaleda Khanum and her family called her ‘Pathal’. In Bengali, it means doll.

According to Khaleda’s sister Salima Islam, she changed her name to Khaleda Zia after marriage and was called by that name in politics.

Khaleda Zia was married to Pakistani army officer Zia-ur-Rehman in 1960 at the age of 15. At that time, Zia-ur-Rehman was a captain. However, in 1971, Zia-ur-Rehman became part of the rebellion in East Pakistan.

Begum Khaleda Zia’s husband, General Zia-ur-Rehman, later became the president of Bangladesh and was killed in an assassination attempt in 1981.

Khaleda Zia was 36 years old when her husband Zia-ur-Rehman was killed. Before entering politics, she was a housewife whose life was limited to her two children. After her husband’s death, Khaleda Zia took over the leadership of the party during difficult times.

Her sister Salima Islam told the BBC that Khaleda was not interested in politics at all and remained aloof from political matters even after her husband became president.

Khaleda Zia's critics say that she inherited the party leadership after her husband's death, but journalist Mohafizullah, who wrote a book on her life, disagrees with this opinion.

Speaking to the BBC, she said that after being widowed at a young age, Khaleda Zia carved out a place in a conservative patriarchal society and consolidated the leadership of the party.

Khaleda Zia's politics and ties with India

She became the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1991. After that, she became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh again in 2001 after winning the elections and remained so until 2006. After that, her party boycotted three general elections in Bangladesh.

Khaleda Zia also supported the movement that started against Sheikh Hasina in 2024.

In August 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh independence movement and the first Prime Minister, was assassinated along with his family in an assassination attempt. This incident proved to be a turning point in Bangladesh-India relations.

Begum Khaleda Zia's husband, General Zia-ur-Rehman, was the President of Bangladesh, Image source Geety

Zia-ur-Rehman led Bangladesh from 1976 to 1981. Zia-ur-Rehman was also assassinated by a soldier. After that, Bangladesh was led by Hussain Muhammad Irshad from 1982 to 1990.

India-Bangladesh relations were not very good during Begum Khaleda Zia's rule, but during her illness, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to provide assistance to Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda Zia's party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is criticizing Sheikh Hasina's influence in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Begum Khaleda Zia during his visit to Bangladesh in 2015.

This was at a time when an agreement was reached between Bangladesh and India on the land boundary, and it was unusual for an Indian Prime Minister to meet an opposition leader.