A glorious farewell

During her lifetime, she had said, “I have no address outside Bangladesh… this country, its soil, and its people are my everything.” Breaking the deep bond she shared with the nation and its people, BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia (Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un) passed away yesterday morning at 6:00 am at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She was 79 and had been suffering from serious illness for a long time.

Since her admission to the hospital on 23 November, Khaleda Zia had been on the brink of life and death. She remained under hospital care for over a month, with both local and foreign physicians attending to her. Despite all efforts, she passed away yesterday morning. At her side were her eldest son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, her daughter Zaima Rahman, and other members of her family, including her siblings.

BNP announced the death of their party chief under the headline ‘Mahakaler Samapti’ (The end of an era) on the party’s media cell Facebook page. Around 6:30 am, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman confirmed the news to the party’s top leaders over the phone, saying, “Amma is no more.”

With the passing of Khaleda Zia, a luminous and glorious chapter—from housewife to politician—has come to an end. News of her death has cast a shadow of grief across the country among leaders, party activists, and people of the country.

The government has declared three days of state mourning, while the BNP has announced a seven-day mourning programme. Khaleda Zia’s funeral will be held today, Wednesday, at 2:00 pm at the South Plaza of the National Parliament House and Manik Mia Avenue. She will then be laid to rest beside her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

After returning from London on 25 December, Tarique Rahman visited his mother in the hospital daily before returning home. Last Monday afternoon, he went to the BNP’s central office in Noapaltan. After that, he visited his mother at Evercare Hospital past 10:00 pm. He left the hospital around 2:00 am and returned to his Gulshan residence by 3:00 am. Shortly after 2:00 am, A Z M Zahid, a member of Khaleda Zia’s medical team and a BNP leader, held a press briefing, stating that the party chairperson was passing through an extremely critical period.

A reliable source said that around 4:00 am, Tarique Rahman was informed that Khaleda Zia’s condition had become critical. He had just gone to rest. On receiving the news, Tarique Rahman rushed to the hospital with his wife and children. Gradually, other family members also arrived. Khaleda Zia remained in the ICU under the care of physicians and family members. Present at the time were BNP media cell member and ‘We are BNP Family’ secretary Atikur Rahman. He told Prothom Alo that tears welled up in the ICU. Family members clung to each other, crying uncontrollably, and Tarique Rahman too broke down in tears.

At 8:00 am, Professor Shahabuddin Talukder, head of the medical board, held a press conference and officially announced Khaleda Zia’s death.

The president, chief adviser, various political parties and international circles have expressed grief over the former prime minister’s passing. Deep sorrow has also descended among BNP activists.

According to BNP leaders and the hospital’s physicians, in the final days before her death, Khaleda Zia was largely unconscious. At times, she would open her eyes and try to communicate through gestures. In the last phase, she remained hospitalised for 37 days. Initially, she was treated in a cabin. As her condition deteriorated, she was moved to the SCU, and later, to the ICU. While in the SCU, she briefly spoke with Shamila Rahman, the widow of her younger son Arafat Rahman, who was at her bedside. On 19 December, when Zubaida Rahman travelled to London from Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia nodded slightly to bid her farewell.

Khaleda Zia’s entry into politics was sudden, but her journey was long and eventful. After the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981, the BNP plunged into a deep crisis. Amid a leadership vacuum, internal conspiracies, and political uncertainty, Khaleda Zia joined the BNP on 3 January 1982. At the time, she was a housewife with no prior preparation for political life. Yet, facing the demands of the moment and the party’s leadership void, she quickly assumed responsibility and emerged at the forefront. After joining the BNP, she first became senior vice-chairperson, then acting chairperson, and ultimately the party’s chairperson. Within less than ten years of entering politics, she became the prime minister, and she remained the party chief until her death.

BNP leaders say Khaleda Zia stood for saying ‘no’ to dictatorship and ‘yes’ to democracy, development, and progress. This uncompromising commitment defined her lifelong struggle. During her tenure in office, notable achievements included improving education—especially women’s education—curbing acid violence, creating green belts, advancing industrial development, implementing economic reforms, and revolutionising communications.

BNP leaders say Khaleda Zia stood for saying ‘no’ to dictatorship and ‘yes’ to democracy, development, and progress. This uncompromising commitment defined her lifelong struggle. During her tenure in office, notable achievements included improving education—especially women’s education—curbing acid violence, creating green belts, advancing industrial development, implementing economic reforms, and revolutionising communications.

Through the mass uprising of 1990, the autocrat Ershad was overthrown. Then, with the BNP’s victory in the 1991 election, Khaleda Zia made history. She became the first female prime minister in Bangladesh’s history. Under her leadership, the country witnessed the restoration of the parliamentary system from presidential rule, marking a major milestone in Bangladesh’s democratic journey.

According to political analysts, the anti-Ershad movement was what truly transformed Khaleda Zia into a national leader. In 1983, under her leadership, the seven-party alliance was formed. Through nine consecutive years of struggle, she earned the title of ‘unyielding leader’.

Khaleda Zia served as prime minister three times—in 1991, 1996 (briefly), and 2001. While in power, she made many firm decisions but also took the path of compromise when necessary. Although initially hesitant about introducing the caretaker government system, she ultimately included it in the constitution under public pressure. Political observers note that she was a leader who made pragmatic decisions according to circumstances and was willing to step aside when required.

Khaleda Zia’s role in expanding coalition-based politics in Bangladesh is undeniable. After the seven-party alliance, she formed a four-party alliance in 1999, which went on to win the 2001 elections. Subsequently, she led the 18-party and 20-party alliances. Her ability to reach political compromises with forces of both similar and differing ideologies for the country’s interest was a notable aspect of her politics.

Alongside her unyielding struggle, Khaleda Zia never entirely closed the door to dialogue and compromise. The introduction of the caretaker government system, the expansion of coalition politics, and initiatives for discussion during national crises all testify to her pragmatic political wisdom.

After the 2007 state of emergency, a severe storm descended upon Khaleda Zia and her family. She was arrested, as were her two sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko.

Efforts were made to send her abroad, but she firmly declared she would not leave the country, stating, “This country, its people, are my address.” Subsequently, eviction from the Dhaka cantonment residence, a life confined in her Gulshan home, and barricades in front of her office marked one of the toughest chapters of her life.

Amid this political persecution, her younger son Arafat Rahman passed away in 2015. At the time, she herself was under house arrest. In a poignant statement then, she said that although she had lost her husband, her mother, and her child, the people of the country remained her family. This statement stands as the most humane testament of her political life.

For more than four decades, Khaleda Zia’s name has been echoed at every turn of Bangladesh’s political landscape. Chairperson of the BNP for forty years, three-time prime minister, the country’s first female prime minister, steadfast leader of the anti-autocracy movement, and in her final years a symbol of national unity—these are the titles by which she was known.

A politician’s life has its ups and downs, marked by lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution, and attacks by rivals. All of these were part of Khaleda Zia’s 43-year illustrious political journey. She endured immense oppression and persecution, particularly during the 2007 state of emergency, experiencing personal and familial crises, displacement, a confined life, and above all, the profound grief of losing her husband and child, compounded by prolonged illness and suffering.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had long suffered from various complex illnesses. Earlier this year, on 7 January, she travelled to London for treatment and returned to Bangladesh with some improvement. However, age, the physical and mental toll of prolonged imprisonment, and her underlying health complications ultimately meant that medical care could not restore her.

In a condolence message following her death, Tarique Rahman said, “My mother—BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia—answered the call of Almighty Allah and left us. To many, she was a national leader and the mother of democracy. To me, she was a loving mother who devoted her entire life to the service of the country and its people.”

Tarique Rahman recalled that this woman, who fought a lifelong battle against autocracy, fascism, and authoritarianism, was repeatedly arrested, deprived of medical care, and subjected to persecution. Yet she never broke. The country and its people were her true family.

After a long imprisonment and prolonged illness, Khaleda Zia was released following the mass uprising on 5 August 2024. A brief video message she delivered at a rally in Nayapaltan on 7 August deeply moved the new generation. She said, “Not destruction, not revenge, not retaliation; we must build a society rooted in love, peace, and knowledge.”

In the final phase of her life, she rose above party lines to become a symbol of national unity. Her departure has been equally dignified. People from all political quarters prayed for her recovery. The caretaker government declared her an ‘extremely important person’. Following her death, three days of state mourning have been observed.

Khaleda Zia was not merely a politician; she embodied a vivid chapter in Bangladesh’s political history. She has left behind an unforgettable public legacy. She is no more. Yet her struggles, her decisions, her controversies, her courage, and a name etched in the history of Bangladesh—Begum Khaleda Zia—will endure. Today, Bangladesh mourns.

Following the news of the BNP chairperson’s death, crowds gathered outside the party’s Gulshan and Nayapaltan offices, as well as her residence. Many among them broke down in tears. Khaleda Zia’s passing has left a profound void in Bangladesh’s political landscape, marking the close of one of the country’s most notable political chapters.