Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has been admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of a specialised hospital in Dhaka, and senior party leaders describe her condition as “very critical.” The 80-year-old opposition leader was taken to Evercare Hospital on Sunday night after developing serious infections in both her lungs and heart. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, speaking after Friday prayers, said doctors had warned the party that her condition had reached a critical stage and appealed to citizens across the country to pray for her recovery. Her sudden deterioration comes at a politically sensitive moment, with Bangladesh approaching national elections early next year and the BNP emerging as a leading contender.
Khaleda Zia, the widow of former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, is one of two women who shaped Bangladeshi politics for decades — the other being Sheikh Hasina. The rivalry between the two “begums” has defined national politics since the 1990s. Zia served twice as Prime Minister, first from 1991 to 1996 and later from 2001 to 2006. During Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, Zia was convicted of corruption cases and sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2018. She later faced house arrest beginning in 2019. After the ouster of Hasina’s government in August 2024 and Muhammad Yunus’s rise to lead the interim administration, Zia was acquitted of all charges and returned to Bangladesh in May 2025 following months of medical treatment in London.
Her hospitalisation comes only months before Bangladesh’s general election scheduled for February 2026. Since her return to Dhaka, Khaleda Zia has been politically active despite fragile health conditions, and she was expected to contest the upcoming polls from three constituencies. With Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League banned, the BNP is widely viewed as one of the strongest players in the election race. However, competition has emerged from the newly formed students’ party, the NCP, which has aligned itself closely with the Yunus-led interim government and repeatedly clashed with BNP leaders. While Khaleda Zia has remained inside Bangladesh since 2025, her son Tarique Rahman — considered the de facto leader of the BNP — continues to live in exile in London, directing the party from abroad. He earlier signalled a return ahead of the 2026 elections, but has not yet travelled back to the country as of late November.
