Khaleda Zia Death: A chapter in Bangladesh politics has ended today. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who was an influential figure in Dhaka politics for decades, has passed away. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief and Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister breathed her last at 6 am today at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. Khaleda had been suffering from chest infection, liver, kidney, diabetes, arthritis and eye problems for the past several years. She was on ventilator for 20 days.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had a deep connection with India. Despite her special connection to India, she consistently engaged in a confrontational stance with India. Her Pakistani background led to conflicts with India. Her relationship with India was often fraught with conflict and distrust. Anti-Indian nationalism is considered the foundation of Khaleda Zia’s politics.
Khaleda Zia: Early Life
Khaleda Zia was born on August 15, 1945, in Jalpaiguri, Bengal Presidency (West Bengal), undivided India. Her original name was Khaleda Khanam Putul. However, her family affectionately called her “Putul.” After the Partition of India in 1947, her family moved to Dinajpur, then East Pakistan. Khaleda married Captain Ziaur Rahman of the Pakistani Army. After their marriage in 1965, Khaleda Zia moved to Pakistan with her husband.
She changed her name to Khaleda Zia. Ziaur Rahman was deployed during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. This led to the birth of a new country, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). After the formation of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman later became the President of Bangladesh and Khaleda was the First Lady of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981.
Zia went on to make history in 1991 when she became Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, leading the country after the restoration of parliamentary democracy. She served a second term from 2001 to 2006.
She is survived by her elder son, Tarique Rahman, along with his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman. Tarique returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after spending 17 years in exile and is currently the BNP’s acting chairman
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News