Khaleda Zia facts for kids

Begum Khaleda Zia (born August or September 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician. She served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice, first from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first woman to become prime minister of Bangladesh and the second woman prime minister in the Muslim world, after Benazir Bhutto. She is the wife of a former President of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. Since 1984, she has been the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a political party her husband started in 1978.

Khaleda Zia was born into a Muslim family in Jalpaiguri, which was part of British India at the time. She became well-known as the First Lady of Bangladesh when her husband, Ziaur Rahman, became president in 1977. After her husband's death in 1981, Khaleda Zia entered politics and became the leader of the BNP.

In 1982, a military leader named Hussain Muhammad Ershad took control of the government. Khaleda Zia helped lead a big movement for democracy until Ershad's government fell in 1990. She became prime minister after her party, BNP, won the election in 1991. She also served briefly in 1996. In the next election in 1996, the Awami League party, led by Sheikh Hasina, came to power. Khaleda Zia's party won again in 2001. She has been elected to parliament five times in different elections. Since the 1980s, Sheikh Hasina has been her main political rival. Since 1991, only these two women have served as prime minister of Bangladesh.

After her government's term ended in 2006, elections were delayed because of political problems. A temporary government took over. During this time, Khaleda Zia and her two sons faced accusations. Forbes magazine listed Zia as one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the World" in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

In 2018, Khaleda Zia was sentenced to prison in connection with two cases. Some international and local experts said there was "lack of evidence" and suggested the cases might have been political. Amnesty International also expressed concerns about her "fair trial rights". She faced many other cases. On 27 November 2024, Zia was found not guilty in these cases.

Khaleda Zia was moved to a hospital for medical care in April 2019. In March 2020, she was released from prison for six months due to health reasons. The condition was that she would stay at her home in Gulshan, Dhaka and not travel abroad. She was also not allowed to take part in political activities. Her release was extended several times. She was in Dhaka Central Jail from 2018 to 2020. She was fully freed on 5 August 2024, after a large public uprising led to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, leaving the country.

Personal Life and Family

Early Life and Education

Khaleda Khanam "Putul" was born in 1945 in Jalpaiguri, which was then part of British India. Her family's original home is in Fulgazi, Feni. She was the third of five children. Her father, Iskandar Ali Majumder, was a tea businessman from Fulgazi, and her mother, Taiyaba Majumder, was from Chandbari.

After India was divided in 1947, her family moved to Dinajpur town, which is now in Bangladesh. Khaleda Zia has described herself as "self-educated". She went to Dinajpur Missionary School and later Dinajpur Girls' School. In 1960, she married Ziaur Rahman, who was a captain in the Pakistan Army at the time. After marriage, she changed her name to Khaleda Zia. She reportedly enrolled in Surendranath College in Dinajpur but moved to West Pakistan in 1965 to live with her husband. In March 1969, the couple moved back to East Pakistan. Because of her husband's army postings, the family later moved to Chittagong.

Family Members

Zia with her husband Ziaur Rahman in 1979

Zia in 1979

Khaleda Zia's first son, Tarique Rahman (born 1967), became involved in politics and is now the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Her second son, Arafat Rahman "Koko" (born 1969), passed away in 2015.

Her sister, Khurshid Jahan (1939–2006), served as the Minister of Women and Children Affairs from 2001 to 2006. Her younger brother, Sayeed Iskander (1953–2012), was also a politician. Her second brother, Shamim Iskandar, is a retired flight engineer. Her second sister is Selina Islam.

Involvement in Politics

On 30 May 1981, Khaleda Zia's husband, President Ziaur Rahman, passed away. After his death, on 2 January 1982, she joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which her husband had founded. She became the vice-chairman of the party in March 1983.

Anti-Ershad Movement

In March 1982, the head of the Bangladesh Army, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, forced the BNP President to resign. Ershad then became the Chief Martial Law Administrator, starting a nine-year period of military rule in Bangladesh.

BNP and 7 Party Alliance

Begum Khaleda Zia immediately spoke out against the military government. She became the Senior Vice-President of BNP by May 1983. Under her leadership, BNP began talking with six other parties to form a united movement. They formed a '7 party alliance' by early September 1983. BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, also agreed with other parties to start protests against Ershad.

On 30 September 1983, Begum Khaleda Zia led a big public gathering in front of the party office. On 28 November 1983, she took part in a protest where people surrounded the Secretariat building in Dhaka. Ershad's police stopped the protest, and she was placed under house arrest that same day.

Due to health reasons, the previous BNP chief resigned on 13 January 1984. Begum Khaleda Zia, who was then the Senior Vice President, took his place. In May 1984, she was elected as the chairperson of the party.

After becoming party chief, Khaleda Zia led the movement against Ershad. In 1984, she and other parties declared 6 February as 'Demand Day' and 14 February as 'Protest Day'. Protests were held across the country, and some activists died fighting the police.

The 7-party alliance held a countrywide 'Mass Resistance Day' on 9 July 1984. They called for protests from 16 to 20 September and a full-day strike on 27 September 1984, demanding an end to martial law.

Protests continued in 1985. In March of that year, Ershad's government made martial law stricter and put Begum Khaleda Zia under house arrest again.

Boycotting 1986 Election

To reduce political pressure, Lt. General Ershad announced a new election for 1986. At first, the two main opposition groups, the '7 party alliance' led by BNP and the '15 party alliance' led by Awami League, thought about joining the election together. But Awami League refused to form an alliance. Sheikh Hasina said that anyone who joined the election under Ershad would be a 'national traitor' on 19 March 1986.

However, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, along with other parties, joined the election under Ershad. This caused a split in the 15-party alliance. Begum Khaleda Zia, on the other hand, strongly declared the election illegal and asked people not to take part.

Ershad's government put her under house arrest just before the election. The Awami League and other parties participated but lost to Ershad's Jatiya Party.

Khaleda Zia's strong stand against the military government made people see her as an "Uncompromising leader". A writer named Gowher Rizvi noted that her willingness to stand up against the government, boycott elections, and face imprisonment made her very popular. Her popularity grew even more after she boycotted the 1986 elections.

Later that year, just before the 1986 Bangladeshi presidential election, Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest again.

Fall of Ershad

Khaleda Zia was placed under house arrest many times by Ershad's military government between 1986 and 1990.

On 13 October 1986, she was put under house arrest before the 1986 Bangladeshi presidential election and was released only after the election. She immediately started a new movement to remove Ershad from power. She called for a half-day strike on 10 November of the same year, but was put under house arrest again.

On 24 January 1987, while Sheikh Hasina and other Awami League leaders were in parliament, Khaleda Zia was on the streets demanding that parliament be dissolved. She called for a big rally in Dhaka, which became violent, and top BNP leaders were arrested. After this, Khaleda Zia's 7-party alliance organized a series of strikes from February to July 1987. On 22 October, BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, and Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, announced a "Dhaka Seize" program for 10 November to overthrow Ershad.

In response, Ershad's government arrested thousands of political leaders and activists. But on the day of the protest, there was chaos on the streets, and many people died. Ershad's government put Khaleda Zia under house arrest after finding her at Purbani Hotel, where she was organizing the movement. On 11 December 1987, Khaleda was freed. She immediately held a press conference and said she was "prepared to die" to remove the dictator.

After the busy year of 1987, the next two years were calmer, with some small incidents of violence. A new wave of protests began when BNP's student group, Chatra Dal, started winning most student union elections across the country. By 1990, Chatra Dal controlled 270 out of 321 student unions, thanks to Khaleda Zia's popularity. They also won all positions in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union in 1990. The new DUCSU committee, led by Amanullah Aman, announced new plans to overthrow Ershad, following BNP's goals. On 10 October 1990, a Chatra Dal leader named Naziruddin Jehad died in a violent incident on the streets of Dhaka. This led to a bigger alliance among all opposition groups.

After two months of protests, the BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, along with other political parties, forced Ershad to resign on 4 December 1990.

Premiership

Begum Khaleda Zia served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times. Her first term was from March 1991 to February 1996. Her second term lasted only a few weeks after February 1996. Her third term was from October 2001 to October 2006. She is especially remembered for making education more available and for introducing some important economic changes.

First Term

A neutral temporary government in Bangladesh oversaw the elections on 27 February 1991, after eight years of Ershad's presidency. BNP won 140 seats, which was 11 seats short of a simple majority. Zia became the country's first female prime minister on 20 March 1991, with support from most members of parliament. The acting president, Shahabuddin Ahmed, gave Zia almost all the powers that the president had at the time. This effectively changed Bangladesh back to a parliamentary system. With everyone agreeing, parliament passed the 12th amendment to the constitution in August 1991. This officially ended 16 years of presidential rule.

Educational Reforms

When Begum Khaleda Zia became prime minister in 1991, children in Bangladesh, on average, received about two years of education. For every three boys, there was only one girl in the same classroom. Begum Khaleda Zia strongly supported education and job training. Her government made primary education free and required for everyone. Education was made free for girls up to the 10th grade.

To pay for these new changes, the education budget was increased by 60% in 1994. This was the largest amount given to any part of the budget.

In 1990, only 31.73% of students passed the SSC examination, and for girls, the rate was 30.11%. By 1995, thanks to her policies, 73.2% of students passed the SSC examination. Among female students, 71.58% passed.

Economic Reforms

Some major economic changes happened during Khaleda Zia's first government. These included starting the Value Added Tax (VAT), creating the Bank Company Act in 1991 and the Financial Institutions Act in 1993, and setting up a privatization board in 1993. Also, Bangladesh signed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1993.

A new area for export businesses was created near Dhaka in 1993 to attract foreign investors.

Administrative Reforms

To meet public demand, Khaleda Zia's first government passed a law allowing city mayors to be directly elected by voters. Before this, elected councilors from each city area would choose the mayor.

Zia's government also ended the Upazila system in November 1991. It created the Local Government Structure Review Commission, which suggested a two-level system of local government: district and union councils. The Thana Development and Coordination Committee was also formed to help organize development activities at the local level.

Second Term

When other political parties boycotted the 15 February 1996 election, Zia's party, BNP, won by a large margin in the 6th Jatiya Sangshad. Other major parties wanted a neutral temporary government to oversee the elections. The short-lived parliament quickly introduced the temporary government by passing the 13th amendment to the constitution. The parliament was then dissolved to allow for new elections within 90 days.

In the 12 June 1996 elections, BNP lost to Sheikh Hasina's Awami League. BNP won 116 seats and became the largest opposition party in the country's parliamentary history.

Third Term

Zia with the President of Brazil Lula da Silva (2004)

Zia with the Prime Minister of Japan Jun'ichirō Koizumi in Tokyo (2005)

Zia with the Indian Leader of Opposition L. K. Advani in New Delhi (2006)

The BNP formed a four-party alliance on 6 January 1999 to improve its chances of winning the next general elections. This alliance included the Jatiya Party, founded by President Ershad, and the Islamic parties of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the Islami Oikya Jot. The alliance encouraged protests against the ruling Awami League.

Many people criticized Zia and BNP for working with Jamaat-e-Islami, which had opposed Bangladesh's independence in 1971. The four-party alliance took part in the 1 October 2001 general elections. They won two-thirds of the seats in parliament and 46% of the votes. Zia was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

She worked on a 100-day plan to keep most of her election promises. During this time, Bangladesh used more of its own money for economic development. Bangladesh started to attract more international investment for building its infrastructure, developing energy, and supporting businesses. This included investments from the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Bringing back law and order was also a success during this period.

Zia promoted friendly relations with neighboring countries in her foreign policy. In her "look-east policy," she worked to strengthen cooperation in South Asia and follow the UN Charter of Human Rights. She helped settle international disagreements and spoke against using force in international relations. Bangladesh also started to take part in United Nations international peacekeeping efforts. In 2006, Forbes magazine wrote a big story praising her government's achievements. Her government worked to educate young girls (many Bangladeshi women could not read or write) and give food to the poor. Her government supported strong economic growth (5%) through economic changes and helping new businesses.

When Zia became prime minister for the third time, Bangladesh's economic growth rate stayed above 6 percent. The average income per person in Bangladesh rose to 482 dollars. Bangladesh's foreign money reserves went from 1 billion dollars to over 3 billion dollars. Foreign direct investments in Bangladesh increased to 2.5 billion dollars. The industrial part of the economy grew to more than 17 percent by the end of Zia's time in office.

On 29 October 2006, Zia's term as prime minister ended. According to the constitution, a temporary government would manage the country for 90 days before general elections. On the last day, protests broke out in central Dhaka because people were unsure who would become the head of the temporary government. The President, Iajuddin Ahmed, took power as the head of the temporary government on 29 October 2006. He tried to arrange elections and bring all political parties together during months of violence. Forty people were killed and hundreds were hurt in the first month after the government resigned in November 2006.

Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury, a presidential advisor, met with Zia and Sheikh Hasina, and other political parties to try to solve problems and set election dates. Talks continued amidst political disagreements and protests that threatened the economy. On 26 December 2006, all political parties officially agreed to join the planned 22 January 2007 elections. However, the Awami League pulled out at the last minute. In January, the military stepped in to support the temporary government for a longer time. This government held power until general elections were held in December 2008.

Foreign Policy

• Saudi Arabia: Zia made some important visits to other countries in late 2012. She was invited to Saudi Arabia in August by the royal family. She met with the Saudi crown prince and defence minister Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to talk about relations between the two countries. She tried to help Bangladeshi migrant workers get better access to jobs in Saudi Arabia, as jobs were decreasing at that time.
• People's Republic of China: She visited People's Republic of China in October, invited by the government. She met with Chinese leaders, including Vice President Xi Jinping. Talks in China were about trade and possible Chinese investments in Bangladesh, especially about funding the Padma Bridge. Earlier in 2012, the World Bank, which was supposed to help fund the bridge, had pulled out. The BNP announced that China would fund a second Padma Bridge after her visit.
• India: On 28 October 2012, Zia visited India to meet with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and other officials. Discussions were planned to cover trade between the two countries and safety in the region.

Zia's visit to India was important because BNP had been seen as less friendly to India compared to its rival, the Awami League. In her meeting with Prime Minister Singh, Zia said her party wanted to work with India for everyone's benefit, including fighting against extremism. Indian officials said they agreed with her to work together in the region to stop terrorists.

After Being Prime Minister (since 2006)

Detention During the Caretaker Government

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed became the Chief Adviser to the temporary caretaker government on 12 January 2007. In March, Zia's oldest son, Tarique Rahman, was arrested. From 9 April, the government stopped politicians from visiting Zia's home. Her other son, Arafat Rahman (Coco), was arrested on 16 April. On 17 April, The Daily Star reported that Zia had agreed to go into exile with Arafat. Her family said the Saudi Arabian government reportedly did not want to let her into the country. On 22 April, the High Court ordered the government to explain why she was confined to her house. On 25 April, the government lifted restrictions on both Zia and Sheikh Hasina. On 7 May, the High Court ordered the government to explain why restrictions on Zia continued.

On 17 July, the Anti Corruption Commission Bangladesh (ACC) asked both Zia and Hasina to provide details of their money and property. Zia was asked to appear in court on 27 September for not submitting tax returns for Daily Dinkal Publications Limited for years. On 2 September, the government filed accusations against Zia related to giving contracts to Global Agro Trade Company in 2003. She was arrested on 3 September. She was held in a temporary prison at the parliament building. On the same day, Zia removed her party's Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Joint Secretary General Whip Ashraf Hossain for not following party rules.

BNP committee members chose former Minister of Finance Saifur Rahman and former Minister of Water Resources Hafizuddin Ahmed to lead the party. The Bangladesh Election Commission then invited Hafizuddin's group to talks, recognizing them as the official BNP. Zia challenged this in court, but her appeal was rejected on 10 April 2008.

Zia was released on bail on 11 September 2008, after being held for a year.

In December 2008, the temporary government held general elections. Zia's party lost to the Awami League and its Grand Alliance, which won two-thirds of the seats in parliament. Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister, and her party formed the government in early 2009. Zia became the leader of the opposition in parliament.

Eviction from the Cantonment House

Zia's family had lived for 38 years in a house at 6 Shaheed Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment. This was the official home of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, when he was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army. After he became President, he kept the house as his home. After his death in 1981, the acting President leased the house "for life" to Zia for a very small fee. When the army took over the government in 1983, Hussain Mohammad Ershad confirmed this arrangement.

On 20 April 2009, the military authorities sent a notice asking Zia to leave the cantonment residence. The notice mentioned several reasons: first, Zia had been doing political activities from the house, which went against a condition of the agreement; second, a person cannot have two government houses in the capital; third, a civilian cannot have a home inside a cantonment. Zia left the house on 13 November 2010. She then moved to her brother's home in the Gulshan neighborhood.

British Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham meeting Zia (2011)

Boycotting 2014 Election

Zia's party decided not to take part in the 2014 Bangladeshi general election unless it was managed by a non-political temporary government. However, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina rejected this demand. The Bangladesh Awami League, led by Hasina, won the election in 232 seats (out of 300). Official numbers from Dhaka showed that only about 22 percent of people voted there.

In 2016, BNP announced its new National Standing Committee, where Zia remained the chairperson.

US Secretary John Kerry greets Zia at the US Embassy Dhaka (2016)

In 2017, the police searched Zia's house looking for "anti-state" documents.

Charges and Imprisonment in 2018

On 3 July 2008, during the temporary government's rule, the ACC filed a case. It accused Zia and five others of misusing money that came from a foreign bank as grants for orphans. On 8 February 2018, during the Awami League government's rule, Zia was sentenced to prison for five years in that case. Her party said the decision was politically unfair. Zia was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after the decision. She was the only person held in that jail because all other prisoners had been moved to a new jail in 2016. On 11 February 2018, a court ordered that Zia be given a first-class division in jail. On 31 October 2018, the High Court increased her jail term to 10 years after the ACC asked for a review.

On 30 October 2018, in another case, Zia was sentenced to 7 years of hard labor. Khaleda Zia was also accused in 32 other cases.

Zia's applications to run for election in 2018 were rejected. She could not run because the constitution says a person cannot be a member of parliament if they have been sentenced to prison for two years or more for a criminal offense, unless five years have passed since their release. Her party lost that general election to Awami League.

Zia was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for medical treatment on 1 April 2019. The High Court and the Supreme Court rejected her request for bail due to health reasons four times.

On 25 March 2020, Zia was released from prison for six months. The conditions were that she would stay at her home in Gulshan and not leave the country. By 2021, her release term had been extended four times.

After the Hasina government fell, she was found not guilty in several cases.

On 27 November 2024, Zia was found not guilty in the Charitable Trust and Barapukuria cases.

On 15 January 2025, Zia was found not guilty in the orphanage trust case.

2024 Release

After Sheikh Hasina was removed as prime minister during the 2024 Non-cooperation movement, on 5 August, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered Khaleda Zia's release. Soon after, she made her first public statements since 2018 from her medical care. She praised "the brave people who were fighting to make the impossible possible" and asked for calm and "love and peace" to rebuild Bangladesh. On 13 August, the home ministry gave back her police escort privileges, which had been removed by Sheikh Hasina's government in 2015. On 19 August, Zia's bank accounts, which had been frozen since 2007, were ordered to be unblocked.

Health Issues

Zia has been suffering from long-term kidney problems, liver diseases, unstable blood levels, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other health issues related to her age. In April 2021, several staff members in Zia's home tested positive for COVID-19. Zia also got the virus but showed no symptoms and later recovered. On 28 November, doctors treating Zia announced that she had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. A request for her to get medical care abroad was denied by the court. Zia received treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka at different times in 2021 and since November 2021. On 9 January 2022, Zia was moved from the critical care unit (CCU).

On 7 January 2025, Zia traveled to London on a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to seek medical treatment. On 8 January 2025, Zia was admitted to The London Clinic.

Electoral History

Birth Date Discrepancy

Zia says her birthday is 15 August. This is a debated topic in Bangladeshi politics. 15 August is the day many close family members of Zia's political rival, Sheikh Hasina, including her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were killed. Because of these deaths, 15 August was officially declared National Mourning Day of Bangladesh during Hasina's time in power. None of Zia's official identification documents show her birthday as 15 August. Her high school certificate lists her birth date as 9 August 1945. Her marriage certificate lists 5 September 1945. Zia's passport shows a birth date of 5 August 1946. Kader Siddiqui, a political ally of Zia, asked her not to celebrate her birthday on 15 August.

A court case was filed against Zia about this issue. In 2016, Gazi Zahirul Islam filed a case against Zia over her birthdate, saying she was trying to harm the reputation of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family. However, she was found not guilty in 2024.

Awards and Honours

• On 24 May 2011, the New Jersey State Senate honored Zia as a "Fighter for Democracy". This was the first time the state Senate had honored any foreign leader in this way.
• Later, on 31 July 2018, an organization called Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) gave her the 'Mother of Democracy' award. On 8 February 2022, BNP showed this award to journalists at a press conference.

Places Named After Her

Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia Hall at the University of Chittagong.

• Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a student residence at Islamic University, Kushtia.
• Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a student residence at the University of Chittagong.
• Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a student residence at Jahangirnagar University.
• Begum Khaleda Zia Hall, a student residence at the University of Rajshahi.

Images for kids

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  Begum Zia in 2010

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  Khaleda Zia's signature