By The South Asia Times 

Dhaka - Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the country’s first woman to hold the office and a towering figure whose bitter rivalry with Sheikh Hasina shaped national politics for decades, has died at the age of 80, her party announced on Tuesday.

Khaleda Zia served twice as prime minister and broke political barriers in a deeply patriarchal society, becoming the first female prime minister of Bangladesh.

Her rise marked a historic moment for the country and inspired generations of women to seek leadership roles in public life.

However, her long political career was also marked by prolonged hardship, political confrontation, and years of legal battles. Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which she headed, said Zia endured repeated imprisonment and harassment through what they described as politically motivated corruption and criminal cases filed during the tenure of her rival, Sheikh Hasina.

Zia spent years in jail and under restricted medical care, a period her supporters say severely affected her health. The former prime minister consistently denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the cases against her were fabricated to sideline her from politics and weaken the opposition.

In a significant development earlier this year, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court in January 2025 acquitted Khaleda Zia in the last remaining corruption case against her. The verdict cleared all legal hurdles that had barred her from contesting elections and, in principle, would have allowed her to run in the February general elections.

Despite her acquittal, Zia did not return to active politics, as her health continued to deteriorate following years of incarceration and illness.

Khaleda Zia’s rivalry with Sheikh Hasina — daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — dominated the country’s political landscape for more than three decades, often polarizing society and defining electoral contests.

Tributes poured in from party leaders and supporters, who remembered her as a resilient leader who endured imprisonment and political persecution while remaining steadfast to her cause. Critics, meanwhile, acknowledged her central role in Bangladesh’s history, even as debates over her legacy continue.

With her death, Bangladesh closes a chapter on an era defined by intense political rivalry, while Khaleda Zia is remembered as a trailblazer who became the nation’s first female prime minister and a symbol of endurance amid prolonged political adversity.