Khaleda Zia Death Live Updates: Global Tributes Pour In As India, China, Pak Condole Passing Of Bangladesh's First Female PM

In a social media post, the US Embassy in Dhaka said Zia played a significant role in shaping the modern history of Bangladesh and her leadership has made a significant contribution to the development and progress of the country.

 In a condolence message, Chinese Premier Li Qiang described Zia as a veteran politician and an "old friend" of the Chinese people who played an important role in advancing relations between Bangladesh and China during her tenure as prime minister.

In a media briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during her tenure as prime minister, Zia actively advanced bilateral ties establishing a long-term, friendly, equal, and mutually beneficial comprehensive cooperative partnership. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said Zia was a steadfast champion of freedom and a key figure in her country's political history. Yao said Zia "embodied the democratic aspirations" of the Bangladeshi people and inspired the nation through her resilience, courage and leadership. He said that the Communist Party of China (CPC) would continue to maintain its longstanding and friendly relations with the BNP under the leadership of Zia's son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Khaleda Zia's personal physician, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, said she breathed her last early on Tuesday while receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. Zia's family members, including her elder son Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, and their daughter Zaima, were present at the hospital. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was also at the hospital. Her family said she passed away at 6:00 am local time, "just after Fajr prayer".

After 2006, Khaleda faced arrests, corruption cases, imprisonment, and long periods of house arrest. She maintained that the charges were politically motivated. In January 2025, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted her in the last pending case, clearing her political record.

Despite severe health issues, including liver cirrhosis and heart complications, Khaleda Zia remained a symbolic force. She was released from prison after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster and had expressed interest in campaigning ahead of the 2026 elections.

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen reacted on the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. In a post on X, she said that Khaleda Zia’s death should lead to lifting bans on her works and the protection of freedom of expression in Bangladesh. “In 1994, she sided with jihadists by filing a case for “hurting religious sentiments" against a secular, humanist, feminist, free-thinking writer," Nasreen wrote on X.

“She issued an arrest warrant against the writer. And then she unjustly expelled that writer—me—from my own country. During her rule, she did not allow me to return home," she added. She listed several of her works that were prohibited during Zia’s tenure, including ‘Lajja’ (1993), ‘Utal Hawa’ (2002), ‘Ka’ (2003) and ‘Those Dark Days’ (2004). “While she was alive, she did not stand up for freedom of expression by lifting the bans on those books. If her death now ends up protecting freedom of expression, so be it," she added.

The funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister and BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia will be held on Wednesday, with the interim government announcing full state honours for the three-time premier.

Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said her Namaz-e-Janaza will take place after Zohr prayers at the Parliament’s South Plaza and the adjoining Manik Mia Avenue. She will later be laid to rest beside her husband, late president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended a special meeting of the interim government’s Advisory Council where the funeral arrangements were finalised.

Earlier, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced three days of state mourning and declared a one-day general holiday on the day of Khaleda Zia’s funeral.

Khaleda Zia’s final years were shaped as much by courtrooms as by political rallies. Beginning in the mid-2000s, she faced multiple corruption cases, which she consistently described as politically motivated.

In 2018, she was convicted and sentenced to prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, effectively removing her from active politics. As her health deteriorated, her sentence was suspended and she was placed under house arrest on humanitarian grounds.

After the political upheaval of 2024, restrictions on her movement were lifted, and she was finally acquitted by the Supreme Court in early 2025. The verdict revived hopes among BNP supporters of her return to active political life.

However, declining health ultimately prevented a comeback, bringing a long and turbulent political journey to a quiet close.

Pakistan paid respect to Khaleda Zia's political legacy and her contribution to Bangladesh's democratic transition, expressing profound sorrow over her passing.

In a statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Zia, describing her as a leader whose lifelong service to Bangladesh left a “lasting legacy”.  “Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, extended condolences to the family members on the demise of BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. “At such a critical time when countrymen are reeling from a lack of safety, with efforts underway to destabilise and depoliticise the country, her passing away will leave a deep impact on the country’s transition,” he said in a post on X. “Despite being subjected to a depoliticization process in the past, throughout her political career, she achieved a host of successes and shaped several policies for the country. She will be remembered for her contributions to nation-building, but her death is a blow to stabilizing Bangladesh. Heartfelt prayers with her countless supporters and well-wishers.”

The death of Khaleda Zia comes just days after her son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh following 17 years in exile. His return had already sparked intense political debate, and his mother’s passing now adds emotional and political weight to his leadership.

 Tarique has long been the BNP’s acting chairman, but Zia remained the party’s ultimate authority and symbol. Analysts say her death removes a crucial unifying figure at a time when the BNP must consolidate support ahead of elections. While many see Tarique as the natural successor, managing internal factions and public expectations will be a major challenge. The coming weeks are likely to test both his leadership and the BNP’s ability to adapt without its founding figure.

 Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, condoled the death of her political rival and BNP chief Khaleda Zia. In a statement released on X, Hasina extended condolences on the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia. Recalling her contribution, Hasina praised her role in the struggle to establish democracy when the country was headed by a military coup.

“As the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and for her role in the struggle to establish democracy, her contributions to the nation were significant and will be remembered. Her passing represents a profound loss for Bangladesh’s political life and for the leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party," a message posted from Bangladesh Awami League, Hasina’s party, read.

 Few political rivalries in South Asia were as intense or enduring as that between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. For more than three decades, the two women dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape, alternating power and shaping public life. Their rivalry went beyond elections, influencing street politics, governance, and even personal narratives. Cooperation during the anti-Ershad movement in the late 1980s soon gave way to deep hostility once democracy was restored.

 Supporters on both sides often treated politics as a zero-sum battle, leading to frequent strikes, unrest, and political paralysis. While critics argue this rivalry slowed economic progress, others see it as a reflection of Bangladesh’s turbulent democratic evolution. With Khaleda Zia’s death, the era of the “Battling Begums” effectively comes to an end, marking a historic turning point in the country’s political story.

According to the local media reports, Khaleda Zia’s funeral is likely to be held at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka on Wednesday. Official confirmation on state honours and arrangements is awaited. BNP leaders said Khaleda Zia had been hospitalised since November 23 with heart and lung infections and pneumonia. Doctors had described her condition as extremely critical in recent days.

Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus said the country had lost a major political figure. In a condolence message, he described Khaleda Zia as a guardian who shaped Bangladesh’s democratic journey.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday announced a seven-day mourning period following the death of its chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia. The announcement was made by BNP senior leaders at Evercare Hospital, where Zia was undergoing treatment.

As part of the mourning observances, BNP offices across the country will hoist black flags, party programmes will remain suspended, and special prayer meetings will be held in her memory. The party has also urged supporters to maintain discipline and peace during the mourning period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over Khaleda Zia’s passing, recalling his meeting with her during his 2015 visit to Dhaka. He said her contributions to Bangladesh and India-Bangladesh relations would be remembered.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka on Tuesday morning after a prolonged illness. She was 80. The BNP said she breathed her last shortly after the Fajr prayer while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital.