BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has passed away. May his soul rest in peace and condolences to his bereaved family. This discussion is about the loss or gain of Begum Zia’s party and the country. This is solely my opinion. I have seen her political ups and downs. However, I have never met her formally, although I have seen and heard Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia from close quarters at the National Press Club and on the streets of Dhaka during the opposition movement in the 1980s. At that time, there were many attempts to put the two leaders together, then both were not yet that charismatic leaders, and they had to come to the press club often. At that time, Sheikh Hasina seemed to me to be like an ‘elder sister’ of Bengalis and Khaleda Zia was arrogant and hysterical.
Ziaur Rahman was the first military ruler of Bangladesh, and only then people started to know Begum Zia as his wife, even though she did not walk in public. Sheikh Hasina returned to the country in 1981. Zia was assassinated in the same year, 1981. After that, Begum Zia gradually entered politics. After Zia’s death, people naturally had sympathy for BNP and Khaleda Zia. At that time, Justice Abdus Sattar was elected president. Within a few months, Hussein Mohammad Ershad seized power by force in broad daylight. Ershad took power without bloodshed. This is first time the nation saw the removal of a president without bloodshed, before that two presidents had been assassinated.
Before seizing power, Ershad held a meeting with the Indian ambassador at the residence of his friend Naziur Rahman Manzu. Perhaps Sheikh Hasina had a ‘green signal’ for Ershad to seize power. Begum Zia was still a newcomer to politics, she did not understand much, but her personality was sharp. Those who gave her advice gave him good advice, and she listened to it. In the anti-Ershad movement, she was given the title of ‘uncompromising’ leader, that is, her supporters put her in the seat of honor. This happened before the 1986 election. At that time, the anti-Ershad movement was at its peak, fifteen parties led by Sheikh Hasina and seven parties under the leadership of Khaleda Zia were carrying out parallel movements. I did not mention the issue of Jamaat. That was an issue-based movement.
When the election comes, the question arises, will the 15- or 7-party alliance participate? The Awami League and BNP-led alliances held several meetings in this regard. The last meeting lasted until late at night, when all parties decided to take part in the election, and it was said to be reported to the media the next day. The next day, the 15-party first held a press conference and announced that they would contest the elections. The 7-party “betrayed” them here and said they would not go to the polls. After this incident, Begum Zia became an uncompromising leader? In the anti-Ershad movement, fifteen parties were ahead under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. In 1988, there was a voter-less election, after which the movement intensified and Ershad fell. In the 1991 elections, everyone assumed that the Awami League would come to power.
That did not happen, the BNP won the election. Sheikh Hasina alleged subtle rigging but accepted the results. At that time, the election results were by a small margin, it is true that there was still some administrative interference on the part of the BNP. Khaleda Zia became the Prime Minister for the first time. Sheikh Hasina is the Leader of the Opposition. Sheikh Hasina became the first opposition leader when the Jatiya Party won the 1986 election. During the movement to fall of Ershad, all parties decided to return from the President’s rule to the ministerial system, which is the biggest political mistake of Begum Zia’s life. Because Khaleda Zia was more popular than any politician of her time. If the presidential system were there, she would be elected president, she was less likely to lose. As an individual, he did not lose any election.
After coming to power in 1991, Khaleda Zia ran the country well, but in the end, she tried to stage a ‘coup’ to stay in power, but it failed. Khaleda Zia won a one-sided election of February 15, 1996, which was a disgrace for her and the country. The Magura election is another scandal. The Awami League built the movement. A caretaker government was established. The Awami League won the re-election. Sheikh Hasina became prime minister for the first time (1996) and Khaleda Zia sat in opposition. The Awami League government runs the country well. In 2001, the Awami League was defeated, the BNP-Jamaat came to power and Khaleda Zia became the prime minister again. After winning this election, the BNP tortured Hindus extensively, which is a record. Awami League workers also tortured.
In 2006, Khaleda Zia did not want to leave power. In 2007-2008, the military-backed Fakhrul-Moin government was formed as a caretaker government, and the country ran very well during their tenure. In 2009, the Awami League returned to power and Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister. Khaleda Zia is the leader of the opposition. Khaleda Zia’s political decline began in 2001, and its failure was evident from 2009 to 2024. Sheikh Hasina vowed to stay in power at any cost and snatched three consecutive elections. At that time, Khaleda Zia was sentenced in the orphanage case, which was unfair, for which Sajeeb Wazed Joy expressed ‘regret’ after the fall of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
The personal feud between Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia has had a detrimental effect on the country and politics. Both parties wanted the army if they were not in power. Khaleda Zia’s tendency not to relinquish power has hurt the country and encouraged Sheikh Hasina to retain power. The hole that Khaleda Zia had dug for Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Hasina threw Khaleda Zia into the same pit when she came to power. The country expected democracy from Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, both failed to deliver it and for them, ‘Nur Hossain’ sacrificed his life by writing ‘Down with autocracy, establish democracy.’ Both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina were not honest about establishing democracy.
As the saying goes, “The end is good, everything is good.” Khaleda Zia’s end came at a suitable time for her. BNP and Khaleda Zia are in the good book of the Yunus government. The government is treating Khaleda Zia well and respectfully. When BNP was starting movement for the election in December, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Zia poured water on it. If BNP does not come to power in the next election, the move will be considered negative. Khaleda Zia was the prime minister ‘2+’ times and never wanted to give up power. I was disappointed while searching for Khaleda Zia’s success in politics, I could not find anything. She was the ‘jewel of the eyes’ of the country’s terrorists, fundamentalists, fanatics, anti-liberation, and pro-Pakistan forces. Her success was in helping the rise of fundamentalism and inciting anti-India sentiment in the country.
After the grenade attack on August 21, Begum Zia said that Sheikh Hasina took the grenade in her vanity bag and detonated it herself. Begum Zia is responsible for many deaths. During the tenure of Begum Zia, Bangladesh became the champion in corruption for five consecutive times. Bombs exploded all over Bangladesh. There was scandal of ten truckloads of weapons. The ‘Haoya Bhavan’ has been created. The Magura election has brought shame to the nation. The February 15, 1996, election was a manifestation of Begum Zia’s power hunger. Record of Hindu persecution in 2001. She committed Logang massacres. She gave nation five birthdays, but the nation is still in doubt what her birthday was. She was power-hungry and she repeatedly made a cake-cutting farce on 15 August as her birthday. Some flatterers want to call her the ‘Mother of Democracy’, unfortunately she can be called the ‘Mother of Fundamentalism’, and her husband General Zia can be called dictatorship’. Begum Zia’s role in 1971 was obscure and in no way in favor of independence.
It is difficult to say whether BNP will be benefit or suffer from Khaleda Zia’s death. According to some, BNP will suffer. Jamaat will benefit. Will the election be delayed? I do not think so. Tarique Zia has returned home; the party will split if he does not take control of the party properly. On the day of Zia’s assassination, I was living in Dhaka city, I saw Zia’s namaz-e-janaza, which is the largest namaz-e-janaza in the history of Bangladesh so far. In the case of Khaleda Zia, that record, maybe broken. Currently, Bangladesh is full of fanatical energy, so it is natural for a lot of people to attend her funeral. Just as it happened after Zia’s death, people will have sympathy for BNP after Begum Zia’s death, and if the election is held in February, BNP will benefit. Politics with corpses is not new in Bangladesh, nation has seen politics with the bodies of the police in 2024. There will be politics with the body of Begum Zia, but it is appropriate to be courteous. Some people say that Begum Zia died earlier, so far politics has been done with her body. This very comment by the people indicates that people do not believe Dr. Younus at all. Just as the nation does not know what the exact birthday of Begum Zia is, there may be doubts about the date of her death in the future.
All the governments after 1975 are responsible for the present plight in Bangladesh, that is, the rise of fanatical groups. It was started by General Ziaur Rahman. He was a villain, a nation that puts a villain in the status of a ‘hero’ and has a natural fate to grieve. Begum Zia is the wife of a villain, her entry into politics as her husband’s successor, she has only carried Zia’s legacy. In Bangladesh’s post-ninety politics, she has tried to promote corruption and retain power by following in her husband’s footsteps. After the death of her son Coco, she did not allow Sheikh Hasina to enter her house. Khaleda Zia was jailed during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as a punishment for her sins. There is no loss to the nation in her death. She died a natural death; may she be well.
With the death of Khaleda Zia, the ‘minus two’ formula is going to come into effect by the law of nature. One is on the other side of the world, and the other is in another country. Now the nation can abuse the names of the both leaders, but those who come after them are disgusting. However, it is not desirable to create such a ‘Dui Netri’ again in Bangladesh. Family dynasty rule is not desirable! Begum Zia’s chapter is closed. What will be the end of Sheikh Hasina? Anyway, Khaleda Zia passed away at a hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday morning, December 30, 2025.
Author: Sitangshu Guha, Journalist, New York; guhasb@gmail.com
