Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's First Female PM, Dies at 80 After Long Illness

• Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister and influential political figure, passed away at 80 on December 30, 2025, after battling illness.
• Her political journey began tragically after her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in a 1981 military coup.
• She led the BNP, mobilized protests against military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad, and became PM in 1991, serving two terms.
• Zia famously allied with rival Sheikh Hasina in 1990 to oust Ershad, shifting Bangladesh to a parliamentary system.
• Imprisoned on corruption charges in 2018, her sentence was suspended for medical reasons, and she was recently allowed to travel abroad for treatment.

Why It Matters: Khaleda Zia, a leader born from tragedy, shaped Bangladesh's democracy as its first female PM.