Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, known as the “Iron Lady” of Bangladesh, has passed away at the age of 80. She served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice. Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, was a renowned freedom fighter, much like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh.
He rebelled while serving in the Pakistani army and later became the country’s president. Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman were once very close, but the passage of time and the pursuit of power created a rift between them. Their political successors, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, then became bitter rivals.
Khaleda Zia was born in British India on August 15, 1945, in Jalpaiguri, Bengal Presidency, an area now in West Bengal. At that time, it was part of the undivided Dinajpur district. After the partition of India in 1947, her family settled in Dinajpur (now in Bangladesh). The rivalry between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina became a defining feature of modern Bangladeshi politics.
This conflict stemmed from a personal tragedy. Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh. Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975 while serving as president. Hasina became convinced that Khaleda’s husband, Ziaur Rahman, was involved in the assassination.
He later became president of Bangladesh, but he too was assassinated in 1981. Khaleda Zia became a widow at the young age of 36. She then took over the leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded by her husband, and carried on his legacy.
