Dhaka: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with Sheikh Hasina defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her political party said in a statement Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
She was 80.
Zia, who was the country’s first female Prime Minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was battling prolonged illness. She died while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early Tuesday morning, around 6 am, confirmed her personal physician, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, PTI reported.
Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and decided to keep her under observation.
Her condition worsened on November 27, prompting her transfer to the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU).
In the early hours of Tuesday, Professor Hossain, a member of the medical board overseeing her treatment, had described her state as “very critical.”
Family members, including her son Tarique Rahman, visited her at the hospital late Monday night.
Despite efforts by a team of local and foreign specialists, her health continued to deteriorate.
She had faced corruption cases, she said were politically motivated, but in January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in the last corruption case against her, which would have let her run in February's election.
She had returned to the country in May after undergoing medical treatment in the U.K.
In early January, Bangladesh's interim government had allowed her to travel abroad after Hasina's government rejected previous requests at least 18 times.
Zia was married to President Ziaur Rahman, who was killed during a 1981 coup. Zia then helped build a mass movement against the military dictator, who was finally ousted in 1990.
She won her first term in 1991 and served again from 2001. Her opponent in that election and several since was Hasina.