Former Bangladesh prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6 am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment in Dhaka. She was 80.
The BNP confirmed her death, saying Khaleda Zia died shortly after the Fajr prayer at Evercare Hospital. Party officials said her funeral prayers are expected to be held on Wednesday at Manik Mia Avenue in front of the Parliament complex.
The BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayer. 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. pic.x.com/KY2948UPD5
— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) December 30, 2025
Begum Khaleda Zia: Life, politics and legacy of Bangladesh’s first woman PM
Latest updates | Khaleda Zia death
- The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has said in a statement that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will travel to Dhaka tomorrow and represent the Indian government and the people of the country at the funeral of Begum Khaleda Zia.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the death of Khaleda Zia, recalling their 2015 meeting in Dhaka and calling her contributions to bilateral ties enduring.
- Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, has expressed sorrow at Khaleda Zia’s demise. In a condolence message, Yunus said, “Begum Khaleda Zia was not merely the leader of a political party; she represented an important chapter in the history of Bangladesh. Her role in the struggle to establish democracy, a multi-party political culture, and the rights of the people in Bangladesh will be remembered forever. Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty. The nation will remember her contributions to the country and its people with respect. Despite political differences, her long political journey dedicated to national welfare, her people-oriented leadership, and her firm resolve always showed the way. With her death, the country has lost an experienced and proven stateswoman.”
- Khaleda Zia’s funeral prayers are expected to be held on Wednesday at Manik Mia Avenue in front of the Parliament complex, according to BNP officials.
- “My mother is no more,” BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman said, confirming her death early Tuesday.
- Family members, including Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman, were present at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been receiving treatment for more than a month. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also visited the hospital.
- Her personal physician, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, said she breathed her last early Tuesday while under treatment.
Apart from heart and lung complications, she was also battling pneumonia in her final weeks, according to reports. - Earlier this month, discussions were held on shifting her abroad for advanced medical treatment, but doctors advised against travel due to her fragile condition. Her treatment was overseen by a multidisciplinary medical team that included specialists from Bangladesh and several other countries, including the UK, the US, China and Australia.
- Khaleda Zia is survived by her elder son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman. Her younger son, Arafat Rahman Koko, passed away earlier in Malaysia.
- Tributes continued to pour in from party leaders, political allies and supporters, many of whom described her as a pivotal figure in Bangladesh’s political history.
- Her passing comes as Bangladesh prepares for national elections scheduled for February 2026.
- The former prime minister had returned to Bangladesh in May 2025 after undergoing medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, Bangladesh’s interim government allowed her to travel abroad after previous requests were denied during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
- In January 2025, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted Khaleda Zia in the final corruption case against her, a ruling that would have allowed her to contest the upcoming elections.
- Khaleda Zia had been admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. She was moved to the hospital’s Critical Care Unit as her condition worsened on November 27.
- Doctors treating her had described her condition as extremely critical. She was on life support and undergoing regular dialysis in recent days.
- She had been battling multiple health issues for years, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis and kidney-related complications.
- BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, her son, had returned to Bangladesh last week and visited her at Evercare Hospital, appealing to party leaders and supporters to pray for her recovery.
- Khaleda Zia’s rivalry with Sheikh Hasina shaped Bangladesh’s politics for decades. The two leaders alternated power over several election cycles.
- Khaleda Zia was married to former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1981 military coup. She later emerged as a key figure in the movement that ended military rule in 1990.
- Khaleda Zia served twice as Bangladesh’s prime minister, first in 1991 and again from 2001, with Sheikh Hasina as her principal political rival.