Khaleda Zia Death LIVE: Sheikh Hasina Condoles Passing Of Former Bangladesh PM, BNP Announces 7 Days Of Mourning

The Bangladesh Awami League Chairperson Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed condolences on the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia.

“I extend my deepest condolences on the passing of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. As the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and for her role in the struggle to establish democracy, her contributions to the nation were significant and will be remembered. Her passing represents a profound loss for Bangladesh’s political life and for the leadership of the Bangladesh ist Party,” she said in a post by her party the Awami League.

“I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul. I convey my sincere sympathies to her son, Tarique Rahman, and to the members of her bereaved family. I also extend my condolences to the wider BNP family,” it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended condolences on the death of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. He also recalled meeting her in 2015 and hoped that her vision and legacy would continue to guide the  India-Bangladesh relationship.

The Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) will observe seven days of mourning following the death of its chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The announcement was made by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference held at Evercare Hospital.

The Chief Adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has expressed profound sorrow at the death of Begum Khaleda Zia— three-time former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the BNP.

In a condolence message, the Chief Adviser said that with the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, the nation has lost a great guardian. “I am deeply saddened and grief-stricken by her death,” he said.

Khaleda Zia became the country’s first woman prime minister through a free and fair general election in 1991.

She was re-elected in 1996 and 2001.

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman landed in Dhaka on December 25, ending more than 17 years of self-exile in the United Kingdom.

The son of former premier Khaleda Zia has emerged as a leading contender for prime minister in the upcoming February general elections.

Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 after she was diagnosed with infections in her heart and lungs, reported The Daily Star.

She was also suffering from pneumonia.

Zia returned to Dhaka this May after four months of medical treatment in London.

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh ist Party (BNP), has died at the age of 80, marking the end of a remarkable and often controversial career in national politics.

She scripted history by becoming Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, serving terms between 1991 and 1996 and 2001 and 2006.

In her first term, she steered the country back to parliamentary democracy and worked on economic reforms, educational access, and women’s opportunities. However, her tenure faced major challenges, including natural disasters, economic distress, and civil unrest. READ MORE