Jalpaiguri Mourns Khaleda Zia: Childhood Home Remembers 'Daughter of the Soil'

• Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia's passing evokes deep sorrow in Jalpaiguri, India, her childhood home.
• Born in Nayabasti, Jalpaiguri in 1945, she lived there until the 1950s, receiving early education at Jogmaya Primary and Sunitibala Sadar Girls School.
• Her father, Mohammad Iskandar, exchanged property to move to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), but locals still remember her as their own.
• Despite partition, personal ties remained strong; her childhood friend Shion Mondal rejoiced at her premiership, and her niece recently visited her birthplace.
• Residents express regret over the partition, feeling her loss as deeply as those in Bangladesh.

Why It Matters: Khaleda Zia's passing highlights enduring human connections across borders, rooted in her Jalpaiguri childhood.