Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and BNP chairperson, was laid to rest beside her husband Ziaur Rahman’s grave on Wednesday afternoon, December 31. She was buried with state honours in the capital’s Zia Udyan, adjacent to the National Parliament, following a military guard of honour.

The funeral prayer for Khaleda Zia was completed before a crowd of hundreds of thousands on Dhaka’s Manik Mia Avenue earlier in the day, which was declared a public holiday in honour of her death. The ceremony was attended by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, members of the advisory council, and the heads of the country’s three military services, among others.

Before the funeral prayer, Nazrul Islam Khan, a member of the BNP’s standing committee, first outlined highlights of her long political career. Acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman then spoke briefly, asking for the nation’s forgiveness on his mother Begum Zia’s behalf.

Addressing the crowd, Rahman made a personal appeal. “If my late mother, Begum Khaleda Zia, had any debts to anyone during her lifetime, please contact me,” he said. “If anyone was hurt by her actions or words, I seek forgiveness on her behalf. Please pray that Allah grants her heaven.”

Well before noon, waves of mourners began pouring into the venue designated for the Janaza. As time passed, the crowd spread far and wide. In one direction, it reached the Lalmatia field on Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi Road No. 27, Bijoy Sarani, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargaon, and Shyamoli. In the other rows of people attending the funeral prayers extended through Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Banglamotor, and further on to Mogbazar and Panthapath.

Long queues of mourners were also seen at the Bijoy Sarani area, near the Office of the Chief Adviser in Agargaon, as well as at the Farmgate and Karwan Bazar metro stations. People stood in prayer even on the Farmgate-bound exit ramp of the elevated expressway, while others were observed offering janaza on the balcony of Karwan Bazar metro station. With no space left on the streets, many joined the prayers from the rooftops of nearby buildings. Countless others followed the janaza through live broadcasts on television and social media. Across many parts of the capital, large numbers of people took part by watching the live transmission online and on mobile phones.

The janaza of Khaleda Zia was scheduled for 2:00 p.m., after Zuhr prayers. However, due to the massive crowd, the funeral prayers began at 3:03 p.m. and concluded at 3:05 p.m. Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek, khatib of the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram led the Janaza prayer.

Despite the overwhelming turnout, there was no disorder anywhere. With dignity and solemnity, people joined in bidding farewell to Khaleda Zia on her final journey.

During her lifetime, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had once said, “I have no address outside this country; Bangladesh is my only home.” That wish was fulfilled. At around 4:50 p.m., Begum Khaleda Zia was laid to rest at Zia Udyan, adjacent to the parliament, beside the grave of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman. Her elder son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was the first to descend into the grave and personally laid his mother to rest. Following the burial, the armed forces accorded her a guard of honour.

Earlier, the former three-time prime minister breathed her last at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30, while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital. She was 79. For a long time, she had been suffering from multiple ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications.

Following her death, the government has declared three days of state mourning beginning today, Wednesday. A general holiday has also been announced today to facilitate her funeral prayers. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will observe seven days of mourning.

Khaleda Zia will be remembered in Bangladesh’s political history as a symbol of uncompromising struggle, courageous leadership, and long sacrifice. Rising to prominence during the turbulent years of post-military-rule democratic politics, she emerged as one of the country’s most influential political figures. After the assassination of BNP founder and martyred president Ziaur Rahman in 1981, she assumed leadership of the party amid extremely challenging political circumstances. Overcoming repression, political hostility, and personal grief, she gradually established herself as an uncompromising leader. In 1991, following a mass uprising, she took office as the country’s first woman prime minister.

Under Khaleda Zia’s leadership, parliamentary democracy was restored, the caretaker government system was introduced, and multi-party politics was consolidated. She remained at the centre of national politics during the political crises and electoral contests of 1996 and 2001. In particular, after returning to office as prime minister in 2001, she undertook several initiatives aimed at economic growth, infrastructure development, and poverty alleviation.

Throughout her long political career, Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on multiple occasions. A significant portion of her life was marked by conflict with political rivals, legal cases, and repression. Even while seriously ill, she sought to remain politically active, reflecting her resilience and sense of responsibility. To party leaders, activists, and supporters, she was a source of inspiration in the struggle; to her followers, she was both compassionate and resolute. Political analysts believe her name will endure in Bangladesh’s history as that of a courageous, dignified, and time-defining leader.

Khaleda Zia had been receiving treatment in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital since November 23. Her death at 6:00 a.m. yesterday was confirmed by her personal physician and BNP Standing Committee member Professor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain. Present at the hospital at the time were her elder son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, daughter-in-law Dr. Zubaida Rahman, granddaughter Zaima Rahman, her younger son’s wife Sharmila Rahman Sithi, younger brother Shamim Iskander, elder sister Selina Islam, and other family members. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and all members of the medical board overseeing her treatment were also present. Throughout the day, the hospital premises saw a steady flow of senior BNP leaders, activists of affiliated organisations, supporters, and relatives.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin expressed deep sorrow over the death of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. In a condolence message, the president said her uncompromising role in establishing democracy and protecting the rights of the people would remain memorable in Bangladesh’s political history. “At this moment of irreparable loss to the nation, I pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and followers,” he said.

Chief Adviser of the interim government also expressed profound grief over her passing. In a condolence message, he said, “With the demise of Khaleda Zia, the nation has lost a great guardian. I am deeply saddened and shocked by her death.”

He added, “Khaleda Zia wasn’t merely the leader of a political party but a significant chapter in Bangladesh’s history. Taking into account her contributions, her long political struggle, and the deep public emotion attached to her, the government had declared her a Very Important Person of the state earlier this month. Khaleda Zia’s role in the struggle to establish democracy, a multiparty political culture, and people’s rights in Bangladesh would be remembered with respect. Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly inspired to break free from periods of democratic deficit. Her contributions to the country and the nation will be remembered with honour.”

Begum Zia was born on August 15, 1946, in Dinajpur to Iskandar Mazumder and Tayeba Mazumder. Her birth name was Khaleda Khanam Putul. She was the third among three sisters and two brothers. In 1960, at the age of 15, she married 24-year-old Ziaur Rahman, who was then a captain in the Pakistan Army and posted in Dinajpur as a DFI officer.

In 1965, Khaleda Zia moved to West Pakistan (now Pakistan) with her husband. Their first son, Tarique Rahman, was born there on November 20, the same year. She lived in Karachi with her husband until March 1969, after which she returned to Dhaka. Their second and youngest son, Arafat Rahman Koko, was born on August 12, 1970. After spending some time in Joydebpur, she moved to Chattogram when her husband was posted there, living in the Sholoshahar area.

At the beginning of the Liberation War in 1971, Khaleda Zia went into hiding for a short period before travelling to Dhaka by river on May 16. She stayed at her elder sister Khurshid Jahan’s house until June 17. On July 2, Pakistani forces detained her along with her two sons from the Siddheswari residence of S Abdullah. She remained in custody at the Dhaka Cantonment until December 15 that year. Khaleda Zia was released on December 16 following Bangladesh’s independence.

Ziaur Rahman assumed office as President of Bangladesh on April 21, 1977. Just four years later, on May 30, 1981, the BNP founder and then president Ziaur Rahman was assassinated. At that time, Khaleda Zia was primarily a homemaker. Her days were spent caring for her two sons and managing household responsibilities. She had little interest in politics and was rarely seen at any political programme.

After Ziaur Rahman’s death, Justice Abdus Sattar was elected president. He was later removed from power by the then army chief, General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. During this period, BNP leaders and activists were largely scattered, demoralised, and directionless. To keep the party intact, Khaleda Zia entered politics in January 1982 at the advice and request of senior party leaders. That marked the beginning of her political journey. She gradually became an inseparable part of the BNP, reorganising the party founded by her husband and leading it forward, while taking to the streets in the struggle to restore democracy.

During the anti-Ershad movement, Khaleda Zia was arrested several times, yet she remained firm in her stance. Her role during this period earned her widespread popularity across the country. Following Ershad’s fall, the BNP won the 1991 general election and formed the government. In her very first election, Khaleda Zia contested from five constituencies and won all of them. Within a decade of entering politics, she became the head of government—the country’s first woman prime minister.

After completing her first term, Khaleda Zia again became prime minister following the February 15, 1996 election. However, her tenure was short-lived. Amid widespread controversy, the parliament was dissolved in March of the same year, and the Awami League came to power after the June 12 election. The BNP returned to power in the 2001 general election, forming a government with its alliance partners, with Khaleda Zia once again as prime minister. She completed her term and handed over power to a caretaker government in late October 2006, dissolving the parliament.

Under the caretaker government, Khaleda Zia was arrested on corruption charges on September 3, 2007, along with her son Tarique Rahman. She was released on September 11, 2008, following a directive from the country’s highest court. The caretaker government then held the national election on December 29 that year, in which the BNP lost to the Awami League-led grand alliance. Sheikh Hasina became prime minister, while Khaleda Zia assumed the role of leader of the opposition in parliament.

Demanding elections under a non-partisan caretaker government, the BNP and most other parties boycotted the ninth parliamentary election held on January 5, 2014. The Awami League, along with independent candidates and 16 other parties, contested the polls. The election sparked controversy as candidates were elected unopposed in 153 of the 300 constituencies.

After returning to power, the Awami League intensified repression against opposition forces. Political analysts argue that Sheikh Hasina’s treatment of Khaleda Zia gradually shifted from political rivalry to personal vendetta. As a result, Khaleda Zia was evicted from her cantonment residence, confined to her home under heavy obstruction of a sand truck, and eventually imprisoned.

On February 8, 2018, Khaleda Zia was sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. She was immediately taken to the old central jail on Nazimuddin Road in Dhaka. The facility was unfit for use as a prison, yet she was kept there as its sole inmate. Despite suffering from multiple ailments, including arthritis and diabetes, her medical treatment was widely criticised as inadequate. Reluctance to provide specialist care and repeated changes to medical boards were viewed by many as a continuation of political hostility rather than standard judicial procedure.

As Khaleda Zia’s condition deteriorated, she was transferred to Bangladesh Medical University (PG Hospital). There, too, she remained under tight security and strict control. On March 25, 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was released on conditional grounds after two years, one month, and 16 days in detention. Although she returned to her Gulshan residence, Feroza, she was effectively kept under house confinement. Her movements outside the home and meetings with political leaders and activists were tightly restricted. She was not allowed to participate in rallies or public programmes, nor to maintain direct organisational contact with her party. BNP and her family repeatedly sought permission to take her abroad for advanced medical treatment, but the Sheikh Hasina-led government did not approve the requests.

While staying at her residence in Dhaka, Khaleda Zia contracted Covid-19 in May 2021 and received treatment. At the time, she suffered from breathing difficulties and had to be treated in a coronary care unit. In June 2024, a pacemaker was implanted in her heart. Even then, she was battling multiple ailments involving her heart, kidneys, and liver, which further complicated her physical condition. She had previously been diagnosed with three blockages in her heart and had already undergone a stenting procedure. In June 2024, her liver was also treated through a portosystemic anastomosis procedure, with specialist physicians flown in from abroad.

Following the fall of the Awami League government through a student–public uprising in August 2024, Khaleda Zia was freed. A decision was then taken to send her abroad for advanced treatment. She travelled to London in January aboard a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar. Although she returned to Bangladesh in relatively improved health, she had to be hospitalised several more times in Dhaka. On November 21, she attended an Armed Forces Day programme. After returning home, however, her condition deteriorated further, with reports of severe breathing difficulties.

On November 23, the BNP chairperson was rushed to the hospital on an emergency basis, where doctors confirmed that she had developed pneumonia. She later received treatment in critical condition for severe infections affecting her lungs and heart. From that point on, her physical condition largely remained unchanged. During this period, the issue of taking Khaleda Zia abroad again for advanced treatment resurfaced repeatedly. BNP maintained that no decision would be taken without the advice of the medical board. As a result, her foreign travel for treatment was postponed time and again.