The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) confirmed that the country’s first woman Prime Minister passed away at 6 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayer.

In a post on X, the BNP said: “The BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 a.m., shortly after the Fajr prayer. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un. We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul.”

Khaleda Zia was undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She died in the presence of close family members, including her eldest son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who had returned to Bangladesh from London, where he had been living in exile since 2008.

Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia was the widow of former President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP. She entered politics following his assassination in 1981 and gradually emerged as a leading opposition figure during Bangladesh’s movement against military rule.

In 1991, Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister. She served two terms from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. Her governments focused on restoring parliamentary democracy, pursuing economic liberalisation, and expanding infrastructure.

For decades, Bangladeshi politics was dominated by her intense rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League—an era often described as “Begum politics.”

In her later years, Khaleda Zia faced multiple corruption cases that led to imprisonment, while prolonged health issues kept her largely out of active political life.