ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over demise of Khaleda Zia, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and first female premier of the country.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy,” PM Shehbaz said in a social media post.
Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan. My Government and the people of Pakistan “stand with the people of Bangladesh in this moment of sorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time. May Allah SWT bless her soul. Ameen!”
End of an era as Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia dies
Khaleda Zia, who hoped to lead her nation one last time after elections next year, died on Tuesday aged 80.
Zia, a dominant figure for decades in the South Asian country's turbulent power struggles, had vowed to run in elections next year, the first since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, just last month Zia had promised to campaign in elections expected in February 2026, in which her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner.
"Unite the party and prepare to lead," Zia had urged BNP members earlier this year.
But in late November she was rushed to hospital, where despite the best efforts of medics, her condition declined from a raft of health issues.
Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, which also barred her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.
She was released shortly after Hasina's ouster in August 2024.