Contents
Khaleda Zia
Becoming Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and leading the BNP.
First premiership · Parliamentary government
- Born
- Unknown
- Birthplace
- Jalpaiguri, India
- Died
- 30 December 2025
More people
Nelson MandelaHelping end apartheid and becoming South Africa’s first Black president.
Winston ChurchillBeing a racist bigot and responsible for the orders that led to the Bengal famine of 1943, in which an estimated three million people died.
Franklin D. RooseveltLeading the United States through the Great Depression and most of the Second World War.Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia was a Bangladeshi politician who served as prime minister in 1991–1996 and 2001–2006. Her rivalry with Sheikh Hasina shaped decades of the country’s politics.
Early life
Bengal childhood
Her family moved from Jalpaiguri to what is now Bangladesh while she was young.
Family life
Married army officer Ziaur Rahman, who later became president.
Career
- 1980s
Party leadership
Entered politics after her husband’s assassination and became BNP chairperson in 1984.
- 1991–2006
Prime minister
Led two periods of government, separated by years in opposition.
- 2006–2025
Opposition and detention
Remained a major opposition figure, faced imprisonment and later release, and died in 2025.
Public record
First premiership
Became the country’s first woman prime minister after an election victory.
Parliamentary government
Her government participated in restoring the parliamentary system.
Return to office
Led a coalition back to power.
Beyond work
Contested legacy
Her governments faced criticism over corruption and political violence.
Family and loss
Her husband was assassinated in 1981; her son Arafat Rahman died in 2015.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional source ↗Photo: U.S. Department of State from United States. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}