Begum Khaleda Zia, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), passed away at the age of 80, the BNP said on Tuesday.
Khaleda Zia was hospitalised in a private facility in November due to a chest infection that affected both her heart and lungs. By December, her condition had worsened significantly, and she was placed on a ventilator.
"The BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 a.m.," the party said on X
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party regained its position as one of the leading forces in the country’s politics after student protests in August last year led to the ousting of the Awami League government of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.