President Muizzu Condoles Passing of Bangladesh’s Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has expressed deep condolences following the death of Begum Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and a prominent political figure. Zia passed away at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment for a lung infection at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. Her death was confirmed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and local media. In a message on X, President Muizzu extended his sympathies to the Bangladeshi government and people, offering prayers for her grieving family. Khaleda Zia, a three-time prime minister, played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s democratic transition, notably winning the country’s first free and fair elections in 1991, which led to a change from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Her later years were marked by legal challenges, including imprisonment on corruption charges in 2018 under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. She was released last year after Hasina’s government fell.