Khaleda Zia: The life-long vigil for country and democracy

Portrait: Sayed Fida Hossain

Much will be written in the days to come about her politics, her shortcomings, her convictions, and her contradictions. But today, as Bangladesh pauses, one truth stands clear: a life lived in defence of democratic choice, however turbulent and imperfect, has reached its final rest.

Few leaders in South Asia have commanded such deep loyalty, provoked such polarised reactions, or remained so enduring a presence in national politics for more than four decades. Khaleda Zia was, in many ways, an unexpected figure in public life: a woman who entered politics reluctantly following the assassination of her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, only to become a dominant force in Bangladesh's political landscape.

Khaleda Zia leaves behind a story inseparable from the story of Bangladesh itself — its ruptures and reconciliations, its hopes and heartbreaks, its battles against authoritarianism, and its unending fight to preserve the people's right to decide their own fate. 

More than a political leader, she was a figure woven into the very fabric of the country's democratic imagination. A woman who stood her ground when it was easier, safer, even wiser to step aside. A woman who, even when caged by power or cornered by circumstance, refused to bend.

She lived, above all, by a simple moral principle: a person does what she must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles, dangers, and pressures. This, too, is the basis of all human morality. And it is in this unyielding sense of duty that her life must be read.

From unprepared housewife to national leader

Born on 15 August 1945 in Dinajpur, in what was then Bengal Presidency under British India, Khaleda Zia grew up far from the political centres of Dhaka. In 1960, she married Ziaur Rahman, unbeknownst to her, the man who would change the history of Bangladesh many times. For two decades, she remained a private figure — raising her two sons, accompanying her husband to state functions after he became president, and appearing only rarely in the public sphere.

Everything changed on 30 May 1981, when President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in Chattogram. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which he had founded, spiralled into disarray. Senior party leaders, sensing both crisis and opportunity, urged the bereaved young widow to take the helm. 

At first, she disagreed. Politics was not her chosen path. But history and circumstance pressed upon her. By 1983, she had become the party's vice-chairperson; by 1984, its chairperson. 

Her entry into politics coincided with one of Bangladesh's darkest periods: the military rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Khaleda Zia emerged quickly as one of the central figures in the anti-autocracy movement. Her rallies drew tens of thousands, her arrests — seven times between 1983 and 1990 — galvanised public support, and her increasingly forceful rhetoric helped shape the narrative of resistance. 

Khaleda Zia was the architect behind the formation of the seven-party alliance in 1983, created to bring an end to Ershad's autocratic rule. While the Awami League, under Sheikh Hasina's leadership, took part in the illegal election of 1986, Khaleda Zia continued the street movement. From then on, Khaleda Zia came to be known as the "uncompromising leader".

Along with Sheikh Hasina, she became one of the two women who would dominate Bangladeshi politics for decades, but their partnership in the struggle would soon give way to bitter rivalry.

The first female prime minister

In 1991, following the fall of the Ershad regime and the restoration of parliamentary democracy, Bangladesh held its first truly competitive election in more than a decade. Unexpectedly, the BNP emerged victorious, mostly due to the personal image of Khaleda Zia, and she became the country's first female Prime Minister — and the second in the Muslim world.

Her first term (1991–1996) remains widely regarded as her most substantive. She presided over the transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system, restored key democratic institutions, and initiated economic reforms aimed at liberalising markets and revitalising the private sector. 

Her government expanded rural electrification, promoted education — especially for girls — and fostered the country's nascent export-oriented garment industry, laying the foundation for what would later become the backbone of the economy. Internationally, she positioned Bangladesh as a responsible regional actor.

Her administration navigated multiple crises, including natural disasters and political confrontations. Her refusal to accept the opposition's demands for a caretaker government eventually led to a nationwide agitation and the dissolution of Parliament in 1995. 

The February 1996 election — boycotted by all major opposition parties — was widely seen as farcical. However, once the Caretaker Government Bill was passed, she resigned peacefully. In a political environment often marked by zero-sum hostility, this is a legacy often overlooked but deeply significant.

Return to office and years of turbulence

Khaleda Zia returned to power in 2001 with a commanding majority, leading a four-party alliance that included Jamaat-e-Islami. Her second term unfolded in a deeply polarised political climate. The country confronted rising militancy, governance challenges, and spiralling confrontation between the major parties.

Her government is credited with a number of major infrastructure and macroeconomic initiatives. Power generation increased, remittances surged, and Bangladesh secured record foreign exchange reserves. 

She lived, above all, by a simple moral principle: a person does what she must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles, dangers, and pressures. This, too, is the basis of all human morality. And it is in this unyielding sense of duty that her life must be read.

Major projects — including roads, bridges, and telecommunications expansion — received momentum. Bangladesh received international praise for maintaining growth in the face of global recessionary winds, and Khaleda Zia's administration continued the expansion of primary education and rural services. Bangladesh was being dubbed as one of the emerging economic powers. 

The years of ordeal

In 2007, during the military-backed caretaker government, Khaleda Zia and her political rival, Sheikh Hasina, were both arrested in a sweeping anti-corruption drive. What followed was a long cycle of legal battles, restrictions, and political marginalisation. 

Yet even then, her presence remained central to BNP's identity and the broader pro-democracy movement. She repeatedly refused to leave the country or agree to any backdoor deals with the shadow powers. 

The years after 2009 were perhaps the most challenging of her life. From 2009 to 2024, repeated attempts were made to humiliate Khaleda Zia at every step. Malicious rumours were spread about her. She was forcibly evicted from her home — one that held her husband's memories. She was subjected to solitary imprisonment between 2018 and 2020. Khaleda Zia was kept alone in a prison cell where the conditions were appalling. Her medical care remained shrouded in ambiguity and obstruction.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was granted bail — largely to prevent her from dying in jail. In 2021, when she lay in the ICU and urgently needed treatment abroad, Sheikh Hasina dismissively remarked, "I have allowed her to stay at home, I have allowed her treatment — what more does she want?"

She understood what fate awaited her. She accepted it. 

She lost one son; another was driven into exile abroad. Had she wished, she could have negotiated, sought personal guarantees, accepted safe passage, or left the country altogether. But she chose the harder path — because she believed her life belonged to Bangladesh.

Yet even from her sickbed, she remained a symbol for tens of thousands who believed that Bangladesh's democratic future remained tied to her resilience.

An indispensable figure

Khaleda Zia's life cannot be understood without acknowledging the extraordinary struggle she had to endure for the country. During the harsh fascist rule, she was the steadfast guardian of national sovereignty, the moral counterweight to autocracy, and the final barrier against one-party rule. She shaped Bangladesh's democratic journey more than almost any other leader of her generation.

Khaleda Zia's legacy is also deeply tied to the advancement of female education in Bangladesh. During her first term as Prime Minister in the 1990s, the government launched and expanded programmes that dramatically increased girls' enrolment in secondary schools, including the Female Secondary School Assistance Programme (FSSAP), stipends for rural girls, and tuition waivers for female students. 

These initiatives not only reduced dropout rates but also altered long-standing social attitudes, enabling girls from poor and marginalised families to continue their studies. 

By the end of her tenure, Bangladesh had achieved one of the most significant turnarounds in female secondary enrolment in the developing world — an achievement widely acknowledged by international agencies.

She was the face of the anti-Ershad movement, the steward of the country's return to parliamentary democracy, and the architect of two democratic transfers of power. And even in her years of persecution under Sheikh Hasina, she came to embody the pro-democratic struggle. She truly earned her moniker —  the uncompromising leader. 

Khaleda Zia leaves behind a complicated, contested, but profoundly influential legacy. She broke gender barriers long before they became talking points. She led her party for more than 40 years. She became the anchor of an opposition that, despite fragmentation and repression, survived largely because of her symbolic weight.

Her passing leaves a void not only within her party but within the broader fabric of Bangladesh's political imagination. For millions, she represented resilience; for others, a reminder of the lost possibilities of democratic cooperation. Her journey will remain a central chapter in Bangladesh's modern history.

She is survived by her son Tarique Rahman, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. But beyond family, she leaves behind a political legacy that will continue to shape Bangladesh for years to come.

And now, her work done, the battle fought, she has earned her eternal peace. May she rest in peace.