Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia died on early Tuesday at the age of 80. A dominant figure in the country’s politics for decades, Zia remained the key rival of Sheikh Hasina, the long-serving leader now living in exile in New Delhi after being forced to flee amid nationwide unrest in 2024, the Daily Star reported.She was the first woman in Bangladesh to hold the office of prime minister.Zia had been in a critical condition for days and was undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital.Her death comes just days after her son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh from London, ending 17 years of self-imposed exile as the country heads toward crucial elections.
