Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia dies aged 80
Khaleda Zia, three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, passed away at 6:00am on Tuesday. She was 80.
At the time of her death, those present at the hospital included her eldest son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zobaida Rahman, their daughter Zaima Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s younger brother Shamim Eskander and her elder sister Selina Islam.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the medical board were also in attendance.
The BNP media cell confirmed the news.
Khaleda Zia had been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka for various health complications.
She was admitted to the hospital on November 23, and following medical examinations, doctors confirmed that she had developed a lung infection.
The veteran politician had long been suffering from multiple health conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, kidney complications and eye problems.
Earlier, she travelled to London on January 7 for advanced medical treatment and returned to Bangladesh on May 6 after receiving medical care for 117 days.
Born on August 15, 1946, in Dinajpur district, Khaleda Zia rose to national prominence following the assassination of her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, in 1981.
She later led the BNP to multiple electoral victories and served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006.
New Age
