Dhaka: Days before her 79th birthday, Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, will be released from house arrest following the ouster of her rival, Sheikh Hasina, from power. President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered her immediate release late Monday after discussions about forming an interim government with politicians and the military. Hasina resigned and fled to India earlier the same day.
Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been battling liver disease, diabetes, and heart problems, according to her doctors. She has largely stayed out of politics in recent years.
Known simply as Khaleda, she was initially a devoted mother until her husband, military leader and then-president Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in a 1981 army coup. She entered politics in 1984 as head of the BNP, committed to her husband’s vision of alleviating poverty and advancing Bangladesh’s economic development.
In 1990, Khaleda and Hasina, leader of the Awami League party, collaborated to overthrow military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad. However, their alliance was short-lived. Khaleda won Bangladesh’s first free election in 1991, becoming the country’s first female prime minister and the second woman to lead a Muslim-majority nation, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto.
Also Read | Bangladesh Parliament Dissolved Following Hasina’s Resignation Amid Protests
During her first term, Khaleda replaced the presidential system with a parliamentary government, promoted foreign investment, and made primary education compulsory and free. Despite losing to Hasina in the 1996 elections, she returned to power in 2001. Her second term was marred by rising Islamist militancy and corruption allegations.
In 2004, an attack on a rally addressed by Hasina, resulting in over 20 deaths and more than 500 injuries, was blamed on Khaleda’s government and its allies. Her eldest son was sentenced to life in absentia for his alleged involvement, although the BNP claimed the charges were fabricated.
Also Read | IMF Reaffirms Support for Bangladesh Amid Political Crisis and PM Ouster
Khaleda’s second term ended in 2006 amid political turmoil, leading to an army-backed interim government that jailed both her and Hasina on corruption charges. Both leaders were released ahead of the 2008 election, which Khaleda’s BNP boycotted.
Despite her absence from power, the rivalry between Khaleda and Hasina, dubbed “the battling Begums,” has fueled violence and instability in Bangladesh. In 2018, Khaleda was convicted of embezzling foreign donations intended for an orphanage trust, charges she claimed were politically motivated. She was jailed but released on humanitarian grounds in March 2020 due to deteriorating health, and has remained under house arrest since.
