The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has accused ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina of bearing responsibility for the death of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
BNP Standing Committee
member Nazrul Islam Khan made the allegation while speaking at Manik Mia Avenue on Wednesday ahead of Khaleda Zia’s namaz-e-janaza. “On February 8, 2018, Khaleda Zia walked into jail after being subjected to the personal vengeance of fascist Hasina. But she came out of prison seriously ill,” he said, according to The Daily Star.
Nazrul Islam Khan further claimed that Khaleda Zia’s prolonged imprisonment, denial of adequate medical care, and restrictions on seeking treatment abroad caused irreversible damage to her health and eventually led to her death.
Referring to medical opinions, he said, “According to doctors at home and abroad, her illness worsened because she was denied the opportunity to receive treatment overseas during four years of house arrest. As a result, the uncompromising leader eventually succumbed to death. Fascist Hasina will never be free of responsibility for this death.”
During his address, Nazrul Islam Khan also outlined Khaleda Zia’s political journey. He recalled how she joined the BNP on January 3, 1982, following the assassination of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman. Despite facing repeated imprisonment—including under autocrat Hussein Muhammad Ershad, the so-called 1/11 regime, and again under Sheikh Hasina—Khaleda Zia rose through the party ranks and led it as chairperson for 41 years.
He highlighted her role in restoring democracy after military rule in Bangladesh, leading a nine-year movement against Ershad, and securing free and fair elections in 1991. “She was the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh and the second in the Muslim world,” he said.
The BNP leader criticised her eviction from her residence and the 17-year prison sentence she received on what he described as fabricated charges. “Yet she never compromised with authoritarian politics. This is why she became an enduring inspiration in the struggle against fascism,” he said.
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, died on 30 December at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness. She served three terms as prime minister and played a key role in strengthening democracy in the country.
(With inputs from ANI)
