Who Is Khaleda Zia? A Former Prime Minister Freed From House Arrest After Hasina Fled

Parliament was dissolved by Bangladesh's president, paving the way for the formation of an interim government, on Tuesday.

This action followed the resignation and departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the country after a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising.

Khaleda Zia's House Arrest Ends

A statement from President Mohammed Shahabuddin's office also confirmed that Hasina's arch-rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, had been released from house arrest, as reported by Reuters. Threats of further demonstrations from student protesters necessitated the dissolution of parliament.

The decision was reached after consultations with the heads of defence forces, political party leaders, student leaders, and some civil society representatives, as stated by the presidential office. Hasina's departure on Monday marked the end of her 15-year second stint in power.

She had governed the country for 20 of the past 30 years, having inherited the political movement of her father, state founder Mujubur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975. Bangladesh's army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, is scheduled to meet with student leaders to discuss the formation of an interim government expected to hold elections soon after it assumes control, as reported by Reuters.

General Zaman announced Hasina's resignation on Monday. She subsequently flew to India and is currently residing in a safe house outside New Delhi.

Who is Khaleda Zia?

Khaleda Zia, aged 78, is a two-time prime minister who is currently in poor health and has been confined to a hospital after being sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption in 2018, as reported by Aljazeera.

Here are some quick facts about her political life:

• Initially a reluctant entrant to Bangladeshi politics, Zia went on to lead the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 1981 after her husband, then-president Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in an attempted military coup.
• At the age of 35 and a mother of two at the time of her husband's death, Zia became Bangladesh's first female prime minister a decade later.
• Despite ruling from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006, Zia's terms in office were tainted by allegations of corruption.
• Both Zia and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were charged with corruption by an interim government established by the military in 2007.
• Zia and Hasina, both related to former national leaders, have dominated Bangladeshi politics for over two decades, maintaining a long and bitter rivalry.
• As part of a deal allowing Zia to resume political life, her two sons, also accused of corruption during her 2001-06 term, relocated to the UK.