BIOGRAPHY OF KHALEDA ZIA

Khaleda Zia ur-Rahman (15 August 1945 – 30 December 2025) was a Bangladeshi politician who became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, leading the country in two distinct periods—1991–1996and 2001–2006. A central figure in Bangladesh’s post-independence political history, she dominated national politics for more than three decades as leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and was the principal rival of Sheikh Hasina, head of the Awami League. Her life was shaped by personal tragedy, mass politics, democratic struggle, corruption controversies, and enduring influence on her country’s democratic evolution.

Early Life and Family Background

Khaleda Zia was born Khaleda Majumdar on 15 August 1945 in Jalpaiguri, then part of undivided Dinajpur district in Bengal Province of British India (now in West Bengal, India). Her parents, Iskandar Majumdar, a businessman, and Taiyaba Majumdar, raised her in a family that would soon relocate to East Bengal (later East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) after the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent. She attended Dinajpur Mission School and later Dinajpur Girls’ Schoolbefore enrolling at Surendranath College. In 1959 she married Ziaur Rahman, then a young army officer. The couple had two sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman.

Entry into Politics Through Tragedy

Khaleda’s entry into national politics was not planned but driven by personal and national crisis. Ziaur Rahman played an active role in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971, fighting with the Mukti Bahini. During the conflict the family was briefly detained by Pakistani forces. After the war, Rahman rose through military ranks and became President of Bangladesh in 1977, founding the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). However, on 30 May 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated during an attempted military coup, leaving Bangladeshi politics and the BNP in upheaval. In the aftermath, party leaders persuaded Khaleda to take up the political mantle of her late husband. She assumed leadership of the BNP in 1984and emerged as a key figure in the struggle against authoritarian military rule.

Struggle Against Military Rule and Democratic Movement

As BNP leader, Khaleda became deeply involved in Bangladesh’s pro-democracy movement. She united with other opposition forces, including Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, to oppose the regime of Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad, a military ruler who had seized power in 1982. Khaleda’s activism included boycotts of the 1986 and 1988 elections—efforts that increased pressure on Ershad’s government and helped catalyze the mass uprising that ultimately toppled his rule in 1990.

First Premiership (1991–1996)

In 1991, Bangladesh held what many observers regarded as its first free and fair general election following the end of military rule. The BNP, under Khaleda’s leadership, won a plurality of seats, and she became Prime Minister in March 1991, marking her as the first woman to lead the nation and one of the earliest female heads of government in a majority-Muslim democracy, following Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. Her first term focused on economic and administrative reforms. Khaleda’s government moved to strengthen parliamentary democracy by curbing the powers of the presidency and restoring multiparty mechanisms of governance. Her administration also emphasized privatization, private sector growth, expanding educational opportunities, and empowering women. These reforms were challenged by natural disasters—including a devastating cyclone in 1991—and continued political unrest.

In February 1996, she won a second term in elections that were widely boycotted by opposition parties. The resulting crisis of legitimacy led her to resign and call fresh elections, which brought Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League to power.

Second Premiership (2001–2006)

Khaleda Zia returned to power in 2001, pledging to tackle corruption and rising militancy. Her second term, however, was marred by domestic and international criticism. Bangladesh consistently ranked near the bottom of global corruption indices during this period, and violence—including the 2004 grenade attack on a rally addressed by Sheikh Hasina—stained the political environment and damaged her government’s credibility. While Khaleda denied responsibility, her administration faced widespread blame for failing to prevent such violence. Her second premiership ended in 2006amid political deadlock, strikes, and street violence. A military-backed caretaker government replaced her administration and sought to stabilize the country. In 2007, a state of emergency was declared, and Khaleda was arrested on corruption charges, later fiercely contested as politically motivated.

Trials, Imprisonment, and Later Years

In 2018, Khaleda was convicted on charges related to the misuse of foreign funds intended for a charitable trust established in her husband’s name. She was sentenced to imprisonment, a conviction she and her supporters denounced as politically engineered to weaken the opposition. The sentence was extended with additional charges, and her son Tarique was sentenced in absentia for his alleged role in the 2004 grenade attack—a charge his defenders also called politically driven. Her health deteriorated during incarceration, and in March 2020 she was released on humanitarian grounds while requiring ongoing medical treatment. She spent only brief periods physically free under supervision, often under house arrest, and appeals for travel abroad for medical care were contested by authorities. Following massive protests in 2024 that forced the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, Khaleda was freed, and her Supreme Court acquittal in her final corruption case cleared the path for a potential political restoration. Her son, Tarique Rahman, returned from nearly 17 years in self-exile and was poised to lead the BNP in the February 2026 general election.

Rivalry with Sheikh Hasina and Political Legacy

For decades, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina represented the two dominant political poles in Bangladesh, often described as the “battling Begums”. Their rivalry shaped national politics, alternating in governance and opposition, and deeply influenced party structures, civil society, governance, and Bangladesh’s electoral landscape. Supporters credit Khaleda with restoring democratic governance, navigating turbulent transitions after military rule, and championing political pluralism. Critics, however, have condemned her tenure for corruption, political polarization, and governance failures. Her career embodied the challenges of democratic development in a nation grappling with economic hardship, political factionalism, and institutional fragility.

Death and National Mourning

Khaleda Zia died on 30 December 2025, at the age of 80, after a prolonged illness marked by cirrhosis, diabetes, heart complications, and other age-related conditions. Her death prompted a three-day state mourning period and a national holiday for funeral prayers in Dhaka, reflecting her profound impact on Bangladesh’s history.

Conclusion

Khaleda Zia’s life and career spanned the formative decades of Bangladesh’s post-independence history. From reluctant entry into public life after her husband’s assassination to becoming her country’s first female prime minister, she stood at the center of democracy movements, national upheavals, electoral victories and defeats, and long periods of political struggle. Her legacy remains deeply contested but undeniably pivotal in shaping the political contours of modern Bangladesh—a testament to the enduring power and perils of democratic leadership in a highly polarized political environment.

(Encyclopedia Britannica)