# Begum Khaleda Zia: From Martyred Leader’s Widow to Bangladesh’s First Female Prime Minister

> Begum Khaleda Zia, widow of President Ziaur Rahman, rose from private life to become Bangladesh’s first female prime minister. Leading the BNP after her husband’s 1981 assassination, she served two terms, championed edu…

Published: 2025-12-30 · Desk: Latest · Source: Shomoy News

Begum Khaleda Zia, widow of slain president Ziaur Rahman, rose from a private life to become one of Bangladesh’s most influential political figures. Her husband, a central figure in the country’s 1971 independence struggle, served as president from 1977 until his assassination by army officers in Chittagong in 1981. At the time, Khaleda Zia was widely described as a shy housewife devoted to their two sons.

Following her husband’s death, she entered politics and took leadership of his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). She went on to serve two terms as prime minister—first in the 1990s and later in the early 2000s—becoming Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and only the second woman to lead a Muslim-majority country.

Born in 1945 in West Bengal, Khaleda Zia was the daughter of a tea trader. After the partition of India, her family moved to what is now Bangladesh. She married Ziaur Rahman at the age of 15, when he was a young army officer. In 1971, Rahman joined a mutiny against West Pakistani forces and declared Bangladesh’s independence.

After the military seized power in 1977, Rahman—then army chief of staff—declared himself president. He restored political parties and press freedom and later secured popular endorsement through a vote. His presidency was marked by repeated coup attempts, which were reportedly suppressed with extreme force.

After his assassination, Khaleda Zia largely abandoned private life and joined the BNP, rising quickly to vice chairman. When Bangladesh fell under military rule in 1982, she emerged as a leading figure in the pro-democracy movement. She boycotted heavily managed elections, organised mass protests, and was eventually placed under house arrest. Persistent street pressure ultimately forced the military to restore democratic rule.

In the 1991 elections, the BNP emerged as the largest party, and Khaleda Zia was sworn in as prime minister. Her government made primary education free and compulsory at a time when average schooling lasted just two years. However, she lost power five years later to Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.

In 2001, Khaleda Zia returned to office after forming an alliance with Islamist parties, winning nearly two-thirds of parliamentary seats. During her second term, she introduced a constitutional amendment reserving 45 parliamentary seats for women and expanded programmes to educate girls in a country where female illiteracy was widespread.

She stepped down in October 2006 ahead of scheduled elections, but political unrest led to military intervention. The interim government postponed polls, banned political activity, and launched an anti-corruption drive that targeted leaders across party lines. Khaleda Zia was arrested in 2007 on corruption and extortion charges, following the earlier detention of Sheikh Hasina.

Although released to participate in the 2008 elections, which brought Hasina back to power, Khaleda Zia continued to face legal pressure. In 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission accused her of using undisclosed income to purchase land for a charity named after her husband. She was later arrested and imprisoned, struggling to retain control of the BNP.

In 2014, her party boycotted national elections, alleging rigging. The vote proceeded amid widespread arrests of BNP activists, with half of parliamentary seats uncontested. Subsequent protests were blocked, and Khaleda Zia was effectively confined to her party office in Dhaka.

In 2018, she was convicted of embezzling funds intended for an orphanage trust and sentenced to five years in prison, disqualifying her from holding public office. She denied wrongdoing, calling the charges politically motivated. Her health deteriorated in custody, and she was later released on medical grounds and confined to her home.

In 2024, a mass uprising following deadly crackdowns on protestors forced Sheikh Hasina from power. Hasina fled to India, and the interim government ordered Khaleda Zia’s release and unfroze her assets. By then, she was suffering from serious illnesses, including liver cirrhosis and kidney damage.

In January 2025, her travel restrictions were lifted, allowing her to seek treatment in London. However, after months of declining health, Begum Khaleda Zia died in Dhaka in the early hours of 30 December.

She is survived by her elder son, Tarique Rahman—widely seen as a leading contender for Bangladesh’s future leadership—who returned from exile in late December. Her younger son, Arafat “Koko” Rahman, died in 2015.

Original reporting: https://en.somoynews.tv/news/2025-12-30/YUSWsZUA?fbclid=IwY2xjawPAjWJicmlkETFHT1dCdk9nNnVUejBTQVZ2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHriW4eFeR5GqaV5ZXKa75cZBMfOQ1NIet2mypy-Aqe572wnvWV0YzGfZN3Yx&brid=7CKPMwxwbQyzyVEoDXvvWA
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