Khaleda Zia no more: Bangladesh's first woman PM; tested India ties

DHAKA: Bangladesh's first woman PM Khaleda Zia, who dominated the country's politics for decades and who many believed would lead Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the Feb 12 national elections once again, died Tuesday aged 80 after prolonged illness. BNP, which she led as chairperson since May 1984, remembered her role in restoring democracy after a period of tumultuous military rule.

The three-time PM - and only the second woman to hold the post in the Muslim world after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto - passed away around 6am, according to BNP.




"My mother is no more," said Zia's elder son and BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh on Dec 25 after more than 17 years of self-exile in London and is set to take up the position of his mother to lead BNP into the parliamentary polls.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will represent India at Zia's funeral in Dhaka Wednesday.

The former PM always adopted a wary, and very often, an aggresive approach towards India as she positioned her BNP as "protector of Bangladeshi interests against Indian domination".

1972 treaty, Farakka Barrage flashpoints in Zia's India ties

Zia's main friction points with India centred on overland trans-border transit, India's Farakka Barrage and the 1972 Indo-Bangladesh Friendship Treaty, which she argued had "shackled" Bangladesh and constrained its independence.

Her alliance with fundamentalist Jamaat-i-Islami, which resulted in terrorists and other anti-India elements getting a free run in the neighbouring country and using its territory as a launch pad for operations against India, became a major sore point in bilateral ties, particularly in the first decade of the 2000s.

As PM, she denied India transit rights through Bangladeshi territory, saying it would compromise her country's security and sovereignty. She claimed toll-free movement of Indian trucks on Bangladeshi roads was akin to "slavery", while Farakka Barrage - operational since 1975 to divert water from Ganga into the Hooghly - she said deprived Bangladesh of its rightful share of water.

However, Modi govt did not allow the disappointment to snap ties with Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a caution that appears validated amid indications that the party, which will now formally be led by her son Tarique Rahman, could emerge as frontrunner whenever elections are held.

Expressing grief, PM Modi recalled his "warm meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015". "We hope her vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership," he said.

The state of bilateral ties under Zia stood in contrast to what unfolded under her successor and rival Sheikh Hasina, who addressed India's security concerns by cracking down on hardline outfits targeting India and denying them the space to operate.

The upcoming elections will be the first after Zia's arch-rival and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister following an uprising last year.

On Awami League's X handle, Hasina - who fled the country last year - described Zia as a significant figure in the country's political history. "As the 1st woman PM of Bangladesh, and for her role in struggle to establish democracy, her contributions to the nation were significant and will be remembered," she said, calling it "a profound loss for Bangladesh's political life".

Zia will be buried with full state honours beside her husband, late President Ziaur Rahman, in Dhaka, said the Yunus-led interim govt formed after Hasina's ouster. It announced three days of state mourning and a one-day general holiday. Chief adviser Yunus urged people to maintain discipline and order during the funeral prayers.

Zia had been suffering from multiple complex and chronic health conditions and was admitted to hospital on Nov 23 after her last public appearance on November 21.

Her political journey spanned over four decades - from leading BNP and governing Bangladesh, having been elected PM in 1991, 1996 and 2001, to being convicted on corruption charges and later receiving a presidential pardon. Her rise as a public figure was seen as accidental, having been pulled into politics after the assassination of her husband, a military strongman-turned-politician, in an abortive army coup on May 30, 1981. She was 35 then.

Her rivalry with Hasina shaped B'desh's polarised politics for decades and defined alternating eras of governance.