New Delhi/Dhaka, Dec 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over the death of Bangladesh’s former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, remembering her as a key figure in the country’s political history and bilateral ties with India.
In a post on X, PM Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by her demise and extended his condolences to her family and the people of Bangladesh. He noted that Khaleda Zia’s role as Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and her contributions to strengthening India–Bangladesh relations would be remembered with respect.
Recalling his meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015, the Prime Minister said he hoped her vision and legacy would continue to guide ties between the two neighbouring countries. He also prayed for strength for her family to bear the loss.
Khaleda Zia, 80, passed away around 6 am on Tuesday at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been undergoing treatment for the past five weeks. The BNP said she died shortly after the Fajr prayers.
According to party leaders, her namaz-e-janaza is likely to be held on Wednesday at Manik Mia Avenue in the Bangladeshi capital.
Khaleda Zia had been admitted to the hospital on November 23 after developing serious infections affecting her heart and lungs. She was also suffering from pneumonia, and her condition had deteriorated in recent days despite intensive medical care.
A towering figure in Bangladeshi politics for more than three decades, Khaleda Zia served as prime minister three times after leading the BNP to victory in 1991. She was the country’s first female prime minister and remained one of its most influential and often polarising leaders.
She was the widow of Gen Ziaur Rahman, a freedom fighter and former military ruler of Bangladesh. Her political career shaped much of the country’s modern electoral history and was marked by intense political rivalry and mass movements.
Political observers view her death as a significant moment ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming elections, with expectations that public sympathy could bolster the BNP’s prospects. Her son, BNP leader Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh last week after 17 years in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom and is expected to play a key role in the party’s future leadership.
Khaleda Zia had been jailed on corruption charges in 2018 under the previous administration and was released last year amid widespread protests that eventually forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina into exile.
Her passing marks the end of an era in Bangladesh’s politics, with potential implications for the country’s political future and regional diplomacy.