Bangladesh's former prime minister and BNP leader Khaleda Zia died on December 30, 2025, marking the end of an era in the nation's politics. Her death comes as her son Tarique Rahman returns from exile, with the country preparing for elections under an interim government. The event underscores the ongoing transition following Sheikh Hasina's ouster.
Khaleda Zia, who served three terms as Bangladesh's prime minister, passed away in the early hours of December 30, 2025. As the widow of assassinated president Ziaur Rahman, she entered politics after his death in 1981 and transformed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) into a formidable grassroots force. She allied against military dictator H M Ershad, whom she and Sheikh Hasina helped oust in 1990, but their rivalry defined Bangladesh's politics, echoing the ideological clash between Ziaur Rahman's Bangladeshi nationalism and Islamisation versus Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Bengali nationalism, secularism, and socialism.
During her tenure, Zia shifted the economy from socialist to market-oriented policies, advanced women's access to resources, cracked down on domestic violence and child marriage, and made primary education free and compulsory. However, her regime faced accusations of repression, corruption, and election rigging, and she compromised with religious extremists. Imprisoned in her later years by rival Hasina, Zia was released after the July 2024 uprising that toppled Hasina's government.
Her death coincides with significant changes: Hasina is in exile, the Awami League is banned from upcoming elections, and interim leader Muhammad Yunus's government struggles to meet its mandate. Tarique Rahman, back after 17 years in London, drew large crowds at a July rally on the 36 Expressway, positioning him as a potential prime ministerial candidate. He has emphasized 'deep historical and geographical ties' with India, describing BNP nationalism as 'pro-Bangladesh and not anti-India.' Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will attend her funeral in Dhaka, signaling strong bilateral relations. The BNP must now resist extremists, ensure free elections, unite factions, and protect minorities to stabilize the nation.
