From her birth in India to decades at the centre of Bangladesh politics, Khaleda Zia became a divisive politician with Pakistan-aligned policies and a lasting impact on Dhaka’s political landscape.
Dhaka/New Delhi: A chapter of Bangladesh’s political history came to a close today . Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who was one of the most influential faces of Dhaka’s politics for decades, passed away this morning.
She breathed her last shortly after offering the Fajr prayers. She was 80.Born in India and lovingly called ‘Putul’ in her early years, she went on to build a political career that often stood in direct opposition to India. Her death comes at a sensitive time for Bangladesh, which is grappling with political uncertainty, rising extremism and violence, with national elections scheduled for February 12.The Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced her passing through a post on its verified Meta page. “Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, shortly after Fajr namaz,” the party said.From Jalpaiguri To Dhaka’s Power CorridorsZia was born on August 15, 1945, in Jalpaiguri, then part of undivided India’s Bengal Presidency. Her full name was Khaleda Khanam Putul. After the Partition of India in 1947, her family moved to Dinajpur.Though she often described herself as self-educated and authored her own life accounts, records show she studied at Dinajpur Missionary School and Dinajpur Girls’ School. There is no official documentation of her higher education.Her life took a turn after her marriage to Ziaur Rahman, a captain in the Pakistani Army. Following their marriage in 1965, she moved to Pakistan and adopted the name Khaleda Zia.During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Rahman was serving in the military. He later emerged as an important face in Bangladesh’s history, eventually becoming the country’s president. Zia served as Bangladesh’s First Lady from 1977 to 1981.The couple had two sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman. Arafat passed away in 2015 following a heart attack.A Tragedy That Pushed Her Into PoliticsThe assassination of her husband on May 30, 1981, changed the course of her life. The personal loss drew her into active politics, a space she would dominate for decades. On January 2, 1982, she joined the BNP, a party founded by her husband in 1978. By May 10, 1984, she had become its chairperson, a position she held until December 30, 2025.She led mass movements against the military rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who seized power in a coup in 1982. From 1983 to 1990, she headed a seven-party alliance that challenged Ershad’s regime. She boycotted the 1986 elections and spent multiple periods under house arrest. Her political life during these years was defined by prolonged resistance and street mobilisation.Three Terms As Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia served as Bangladesh’s prime minister three times. Her first term began in 1991, making her the country’s first woman prime minister. During this period, her government introduced free and compulsory primary education.Starting in February 1996, her second term was brief. From October 10, 2001, to October 29, 2006, her third term proved to be her strongest electorally. Her four-party alliance secured a two-thirds majority in parliament, giving her government firm control over the state machinery.The ‘Battle Of The Begums’Bangladesh’s politics for decades was influenced by the intense rivalry between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, a feud widely known as the “Battle of the Begums”. Zia represented one pole of power, while Hasina dominated the other. Their rivalry was rooted in personal loss, family histories and different political visions.Accusations linked to the killings of their respective family members fuelled the bitterness. Though they briefly stood together against Ershad’s dictatorship in 1990, the divide deepened soon after. Zia became prime minister in 1991, while Hasina led the opposition.Hasina took office in 1996, with Zia resisting from outside. Her return to power in 2001 and the 2004 grenade attack on Hasina, an incident for which allegations were levelled against Zia’s government, further hardened hostilities.Hasina was in power for extended periods after 2009. During these years, multiple corruption cases were filed against Zia. In 2018, she was sent to jail following convictions in corruption-related cases.Legal Battles And Declining HealthMore than 32 cases were filed against her, including the Gatco, Niko and Barapukuria cases. In 2018, she was sentenced to five years in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. The sentence was later increased to 10 years and seven years in the Zia Charitable Trust case.In 2020, she was granted bail due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Since then, she was frequently hospitalised as her health deteriorated.A Long Phase Of Friction With IndiaZia’s political worldview, influenced partly by her Pakistan-linked background, often placed her at odds with India. Her relationship with New Delhi was marked by distrust. Her politics leaned heavily on anti-India Bengali nationalism.Her stance became particularly evident in March 2013, when she refused to meet then Indian President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Dhaka. At the time, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in power in Delhi. She argued that India was giving undue preference to Hasina’s government.During her terms from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 to 2006, she prioritised ties with Pakistan and China over India. She described the 1972 India-Bangladesh Friendship Treaty as a “treaty of servitude” and opposed it strongly.She labelled the 1996 Ganga water-sharing agreement a “deal of subjugation” and resisted the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, claiming it would eventually turn the region into part of India.Under her leadership, anti-India elements found space in Bangladesh. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence strengthened its presence in Dhaka, with groups such as the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami receiving backing from Pakistani militants, while Indian insurgent outfits from the Northeast, including the ULFA and the NSCN, reportedly found shelter on Bangladeshi soil.Her government also maintained a confrontational posture on issues such as the Teesta water-sharing dispute, border management and illegal infiltration. Instead of pursuing strategic partnership with India, Zia followed what she described as a policy of “balance”, keeping New Delhi at arm’s length.Limited Engagement With IndiaDespite her strained stance, she made brief visits to India during her prime ministerial years. One such visit took place in 2006, when she met then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.Her most discussed India visit came in October 2012, when she travelled as the Leader of the Opposition. The trip drew attention because it came against the backdrop of the BNP’s long-standing anti-India image.With her passing, Bangladesh has lost a leader who influenced its politics through confrontation, resistance and enduring rivalry. Her legacy is intertwined with the country’s turbulent democratic journey and its uneasy relationship with India.
Bangladesh Former Prime Minister India-Pakistan Politics Dhaka Political History Huji And ISI Influence India-Bangladesh Relations Khaleda Zia Profile Bangladesh Politics India-Bangladesh Relations Khalida Zia Anti-India Controversy
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