In early December, a lone figure stood outside Evercare Hospital in Dhaka holding a handwritten placard: “I want to donate my kidney to Begum Khaleda Zia.”
The man, Tipu Sultan, a 48-year-old grassroots activist of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), refused to leave the pavement opposite the hospital gate. He said he would stay there until he heard news of her recovery.
For Tipu, Khaleda Zia was not just a political leader. She symbolised sacrifice, resilience, and the struggle for civilian rule in a country long shaped by military interventions and street politics. His quiet vigil reflected a larger national mood — anxious, emotional, and deeply divided — as Bangladesh watched the declining health of one of its most influential leaders.
That vigil ended at dawn on December 30.
Khaleda Zia passed away at the age of 79.
With her death, Bangladesh did not simply lose a former prime minister. It closed a political chapter that had dominated the country’s public life for more than three decades.
The End of a Political Duopoly
For over thirty years, Bangladeshi politics revolved around two towering figures: Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. Their rivalry shaped elections, governance, protests, and even the language of political debate. Supporters defined loyalty through them; critics measured instability through their confrontations.
Now, with Sheikh Hasina living in exile and Khaleda Zia gone, that era has ended.
Both women rose claiming the mantle of democracy and resistance to authoritarianism. Both inspired intense loyalty and deep suspicion. And both left behind legacies that are complex, contested, and impossible to reduce to simple moral verdicts.
Early Life: Before Politics Chose Her
Begum Khaleda Zia was born on August 15, 1946, in Dinajpur, then part of East Bengal under British rule. Her family background was rooted in business rather than politics. Her father, Iskandar Majumder, had previously run a tea business before relocating permanently to East Bengal following the 1947 partition.
She grew up in Dinajpur, studied at Dinajpur Government Girls’ High School, and later attended Surendranath College. By all accounts, she lived a private life and showed little inclination toward public office in her early years.
Politics did not attract her. Tragedy pushed her into it.
A Widow Thrust Into Power
On May 30, 1981, her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated during a failed military mutiny in Chattogram. His death plunged Bangladesh into uncertainty and left the party he founded leaderless.
At the time, Khaleda Zia had no political career of her own. Yet senior party figures believed she was the only person capable of unifying the fractured organisation and preserving Ziaur Rahman’s legacy. What began as symbolic leadership soon turned into real authority.
The context was hostile. In March 1982, the military seized power again, imposing martial law and shrinking political space. Khaleda formally joined the BNP in January 1982, rose to vice chairperson in 1983, and became party chairperson in 1984. Her political identity was forged in confrontation — against military rule and later against rival civilian governments.
Power, Elections, and Polarisation
Khaleda Zia went on to win three national elections and serve multiple terms as prime minister. Her time in office coincided with the return of competitive politics, economic liberalisation, and the expansion of private media.
Yet her leadership style was uncompromising. When out of power, she frequently rejected electoral processes she considered illegitimate, leading boycotts and prolonged street movements. Supporters viewed this as principled resistance; critics saw it as obstruction that weakened democratic institutions.
Allegations of corruption followed her governments persistently. Although courts later convicted her in cases brought during a rival administration’s rule, her party maintained that the charges were politically motivated. These controversies ensured she remained a polarising figure — admired by followers, distrusted by opponents.
Personal Loss and Political Isolation
Behind the public battles, Khaleda Zia endured repeated personal losses. Her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was arrested during a military-backed caretaker government’s anti-corruption drive in 2008 and spent years in exile. Her younger son, Arafat Rahman Koko, died of cardiac arrest in 2015 while living abroad.
In 2018, Khaleda herself was imprisoned following corruption convictions. Years of confinement, isolation, and declining health gradually removed her from active politics. Even after her release on medical grounds, she remained largely confined to her home and later to hospital rooms.
Only days before her death did a symbolic shift occur, when her elder son returned to Dhaka after legal cases against him were dropped by an interim administration, briefly raising hopes among supporters that she might witness a political revival.
She did not.
A Legacy Without Easy Answers
Begum Khaleda Zia’s life resists clean judgement. She was neither a flawless democrat nor a simple authoritarian. She was a leader shaped by loss, hardened by political combat, and sustained by extraordinary loyalty from her supporters.
To many, she embodied endurance — a woman who faced prison, exile of her children, and relentless pressure without abandoning her claim to political relevance. To others, she represented a confrontational style of politics that deepened national divisions.
Both views coexist.
What remains undeniable is her impact. For more than three decades, Bangladesh’s political rhythm moved to the cadence of her rivalry, resistance, and resilience.
Outside Evercare Hospital, Tipu Sultan eventually folded his placard and walked away.
The vigil ended.
An era ended with it.
