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BangladeshNationalist Party-BNP
Former three-time Prime Minister, Bangladesh’s uncompromising leader, and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia, is no longer among us. We are deeply saddened.
She passed away today, Tuesday, at 6:00 a.m. while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.
(Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’un).
She was 80 years old.
The news was confirmed at around 9:15 a.m. at a press conference held at Evercare Hospital by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
With a voice choked with emotion, he said:
“I never imagined I would have to stand before you all with this news. Even this time, we hoped she would recover as she had before. With heavy hearts, we say that at 6:00 a.m. today, the Mother of Democracy, our guardian, the guardian of the nation, has left us.”
At the time of her passing, her eldest son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was by her bedside. Also present at the hospital were his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, their daughter Zaima Rahman, and the wife of her late younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, Sharmila Rahman Sithi.
Among family members, her younger brother Shamim Eskandar and his wife, her elder sister Selina Islam, and other relatives were also present during her final moments. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the medical board overseeing her treatment were present as well.
The former Prime Minister had long been suffering from multiple health complications, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, and diabetes. She also had chronic conditions affecting her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyes.
Following the detection of infections in her heart and lungs, she was admitted to the hospital on November 23 on the advice of the medical board.
Her treatment was supervised by a medical board led by cardiologist Dr. Shahabuddin, comprising specialists from Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and Australia.
Earlier this month, arrangements were being made to take her abroad for advanced treatment, but considering her physical condition, it was later deemed not feasible.
