'If Her Death Now...': Taslima Nasreen Calls For Lifting Ban On Her Books After Khaleda Zia's Demise

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Tuesday reacted sharply to the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, stating the latter never allowed her to return home during her tenure. In a post on X, Nasreen targeted Zia for banning her several books when she was in power.

Nasreen has been living in exile in India after she faced pressure from fundamentalist groups and repeated death threats. She also accused the late BNP leader of aligning with religious extremists and suppressing free expression.

“In 1994, she sided with jihadists by filing a case for “hurting religious sentiments” against a secular, humanist, feminist, free-thinking writer,” Nasreen wrote on X.

Khaleda Zia has passed away. She was 80 years old. From a housewife she became

a party chief, and served as the country’s prime minister for ten years. She lived a successful life—a long life. Sheikh Hasina kept her in jail for two years; apart from that period, I don’t think she…

— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) December 30, 2025

“She issued an arrest warrant against the writer. And then she unjustly expelled that writer—me—from my own country. During her rule, she did not allow me to return home,” she further wrote.

Questioning whether the ex-PM’s death could now lead to a reversal of censorship, Nasreen asked, “…with her death, will the bans on the books she had banned not be lifted? They should be lifted.”

She listed several of her works that were prohibited during Zia’s tenure, including ‘Lajja’ (1993), ‘Utal Hawa’ (2002), ‘Ka’ (2003) and ‘Those Dark Days’ (2004).

“While she was alive, she did not stand up for freedom of expression by lifting the bans on those books. If her death now ends up protecting freedom of expression, so be it,” she added.

The book ‘Lajja’ (which translates to shame) addressed violence against Hindus following the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. Though the ban imposed in 1993 was briefly lifted, it was reinstated after protests. In 1994, four additional books — ‘Fera’ (Divorce), Phera (Return), and Nirbasan (Exile) — were also banned, citing threats to public order and religious sentiments.

Facing mob violence and threats from fundamentalist groups aligned with Zia’s BNP, Nasreen fled Bangladesh in 1994, first seeking refuge in Sweden before moving to India a decade later.

Khaleda Zia Dies At 80

Khaleda Zia, 80, died early Tuesday after a prolonged illness. She had been undergoing treatment for heart and lung infections and pneumonia, according to national dailies. Though out of power since 2006 and having spent years in jail or under house arrest, Zia and her centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party continued to enjoy significant public support.

The BNP is widely seen as the frontrunner in the parliamentary elections due in February next year. Zia’s son and acting party chairman, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh last week after nearly 17 years in self-exile and is considered a strong contender for the prime minister’s post.