Khaleda Zia, the chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has had a transformative journey from her early days as a child in Jalpaiguri to becoming a prominent political figure in a nation which is now picking up the pieces after deadly quota reforms protests that claimed over 500 lives and brought to power a new interim government after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Officially born on August 15, 1946, in Nayabasti, a small town in what was then undivided India, Khaleda Zia was named Khaleda Khanam. Her birth has been the subject of considerable debate, with various sources, including those from the BNP and her biographies, noting additional nicknames such as Tipsi and Shanti, according to Dhaka Tribune.
Shairul Kabir Khan from the BNP’s press wing noted that Khaleda Zia spent half of her life as the wife of Ziaur Rahman. She joined the BNP on January 3, 1982, and ascended to the role of senior vice chairperson by March 1983. She gave her first speech at an extended party meeting on April 1, 1983, and acted as the BNP’s chairperson when Justice Abdus Sattar fell ill.
On May 10, 1984, Khaleda Zia was elected as the party’s chairperson. However, in 2018, she was sentenced to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case, a sentence later extended to ten years.
After spending time in the Old Dhaka jail and being treated at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, she was granted conditional bail on March 25, 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Her release was extended in six-month increments by the former government. Khaleda Zia was finally released by presidential order on August 6, following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister.
Throughout her political career, Khaleda Zia was elected Prime Minister in 1991, 1996, and 2001. Under her leadership, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution was enacted in 1991, transitioning the government system from presidential to parliamentary democracy. Her second term lasted only a month following the February 15, 1996 election, as a non-partisan caretaker government was established. She returned to power in 2001 with a four-party alliance but faced a setback in the 2008 elections, becoming leader of the opposition once more.
Khaleda Zia boycotted the 2014 general election, as did many political parties. She was unable to contest the 2018 election due to her imprisonment, and her party did not field any candidates in the 2023 general election.
Shairul Kabir Khan noted that Khaleda Zia last travelled abroad in July 2017 and visited the Rohingya camps in October 2017, distributing relief. Her last birthday celebration was on August 15, 2015, with subsequent birthdays spent under various forms of confinement.
