Former female prime minister of Bangladesh and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, has passed away at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness, a development officially confirmed by her party.
Khaleda Zia was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and remained a highly influential and prominent figure in the country’s politics for decades. Reports said she had been suffering from a serious liver-related ailment and had remained under hospital treatment for a long period. At the same time, doctors had declared her condition critical a day earlier.
According to Bangladeshi media, Dr Ziaul Haq, a member of the medical board treating her, said Khaleda Zia was kept on life support and was undergoing regular dialysis. He explained that whenever dialysis was discontinued, her medical condition showed immediate and significant deterioration.
Dr Ziaul Haq said that due to her advanced age and multiple complex illnesses, it was not possible to effectively treat all conditions simultaneously, which led to a continuous decline in her health. Her death has sparked deep grief across political, social, and public circles in Bangladesh.
Reports further stated that the 80-year-old leader was shifted to the hospital on November 23 last month after complaints of heart and lung infections, where her condition continued to worsen. Doctors said she was placed on a ventilator to support her respiratory system and other vital organs.
Khaleda Zia was a well-known and influential political leader who served as Bangladesh’s prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the wife of former Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman. During her political career, she faced corruption allegations and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and condolences over the passing of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
