Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has died at age 80 after prolonged illness, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced. Zia, who had been hospitalized for over a month with heart, lung, and other health issues, passed away in Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital.
Bangladesh Former PM Khaleda Zia Passes Away After Long Illness
Dhaka: A significant chapter in Bangladeshi politics has come to a close. Former Prime Minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia, has passed away at the age of 80. The BNP confirmed her death in a post on the social media platform X. According to the party, she had been battling several serious health problems for a long time.
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. pic.twitter.com/KY2948UPD5
— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) December 30, 2025
A statement issued by the party said that Khaleda Zia breathed her last at around 6 AM at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She had been hospitalized for the past 36 days. Her condition deteriorated on November 23 after developing infections in her heart and lungs. She was also suffering from pneumonia, which kept her condition critical.
In its official statement, the BNP said that its chairperson, former Prime Minister, and national leader Begum Khaleda Zia passed away after the Fajr prayer. The party appealed to the people of the country and its supporters to pray for the peace of her soul. Her death has sent a wave of grief among party workers and supporters.
According to media reports and party sources, in view of her deteriorating health earlier this month, preparations were made to take her abroad for treatment. However, due to extreme weakness and health risks, this was not possible, and she remained under medical supervision in Dhaka.
Khaleda Zia was already suffering from liver, kidney, diabetes, arthritis, and eye-related diseases. Earlier this year, on May 6, she returned to Bangladesh from London, where she had received advanced medical treatment for about four months. Despite this, her health did not improve as expected.
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Khaleda Zia's political journey was full of struggles. After the assassination of the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, a period of instability began in Bangladeshi politics. A few months later, her husband, General Ziaur Rahman, came to power and became president, but he too was killed in an unsuccessful coup in 1981. In the current situation, with Sheikh Hasina out of the country, the death of Khaleda Zia has intensified new political discussions regarding the role and leadership of the BNP in the upcoming general elections.
