Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister, dies at 80

Bangladesh's first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, passed away after a prolonged illness at a Dhaka hospital on Tuesday morning. She was 80.

Zia, the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had been suffering from advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and heart and chest problems, according to her doctors.

She was admitted to Dhaka's Evercare Hospital on November 23 and had been on life support for the last few days.

Zia breathed her last at 6 am, shortly after the Fajr prayer, the BNP said in a social media post.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un. We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul," the post read.

Zia had faced corruption cases, which 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 the upcoming elections.

Zia was married to President Ziaur Rahman, who was killed during a 1981 coup. She won her first term as prime minister in 1991 and served a second term starting in 2001.

The BNP chief's demise came just days after her elder son and party's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh from London on December 25, ending his 17-year self-exile.

On Monday, Rahman submitted his nomination papers for the general elections scheduled for February 12.

Zia's death also comes amid heightened political tension in the country following the July 2024 uprising, which led to the ousting of the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina has been living in exile in India ever since her removal, while Bangladesh's interim government has been demanding her extradition, citing her conviction and death sentence in cases related to the youth agitation.