It was the night of February 27, 1991.
After a full day of voting, the streets were pulsing with excitement. People at home, in shops, at tea stalls were glued to their television and radio sets. They waited for one announcement.
Finally, the announcement came—the BNP, under the leadership of Khaleda Zia, had won.
To many, the result was unexpected. The main contest had been between Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and the BNP—two parties that had led a decade-long campaign against autocracy. It was that very movement that had forced Hussain Muhammad Ershad, military dictator turned president, to resign just months earlier.
Many believed that after such a massive anti‑autocracy movement, the BNP—established only a few years earlier by Ziaur Rahman, another military strongman turned president—would hardly be trusted by the people to assume power. Moreover, the party was led by Khaleda Zia, who had entered politics only seven years before.
Analysts say the main reason was Khaleda Zia's uncompromising leadership against Ershad's military rule. Unlike her rival Sheikh Hasina, she refused to take part in the 1986 election, and that decision established her as an uncompromising leader and turned the BNP into a formidable force on its path back to power.
Many people enter politics, but only a few become symbols during their lifetime. Even fewer manage to maintain influence over the political trajectory of a nation after leaving power.
Khaleda Zia has done both.
Rising from ordinary life to the pinnacle, then through decline, imprisonment, illness, and repeated comebacks—she has earned a degree of acceptance that transcends party lines.
She will never walk the corridors of power, but her shadow will remain in the nook and cranny of Bangladesh's politics. She is an indomitable symbol to a nation born from struggle—one who never compromised, never bowed.
Despite criticism, her many decisions have left an indelible mark on Bangladesh's democratic journey.
Over time, she transformed the BNP. She turned a party born around a military ruler into a democratic force for the masses. Her unwavering faith in Bangladeshi nationalism established the BNP as the guardian of multi-party democracy—first against military dictatorship, and later against one-party dominance.
Under her leadership, the party stayed intact and reorganized itself in opposition. Even under persecution, she remained resolute. Over the past fifteen years, the Awami League government evicted her from her home, placed her under house arrest, and convicted her in corruption cases—charges her party and supporters have viewed as politically motivated. These legal battles were part of broader attempts to weaken her leadership and the BNP's influence. Denied medical treatment, subjected to pressure—she still remained uncompromising and dignified.
BNP leaders and activists were prevented from sitting in offices, standing in the streets; they faced widespread arrests and repression. Yet they did not abandon her. This shows her sweeping acceptance within the party.
She served as prime minister three times—twice for full terms and once for nearly a month, during which the caretaker government system for election-time administration was incorporated into the constitution in response to opposition demands.
After her first victory in 1991, when Khaleda Zia assumed power, Bangladesh witnessed a historic moment: for the first time, a woman was leading the nation. Her journey had not begun from ambition, but from personal tragedy.
In 1981, her husband—president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman—was assassinated. At just thirty-six, determined to keep the BNP intact, she entered politics in 1983 at the urging of committed party workers. The following year, she became party chairperson—a position she held for decades.
Her first term ushered in major reforms. She transformed Bangladesh from a presidential system into a parliamentary one—a long-standing demand that had emerged from the anti-autocracy movement of the 1980s. Almost immediately, her government had to confront one of the deadliest cyclones in history—the April 29, 1991 cyclone, which claimed more than 138,000 lives.
Her administration institutionalized a free-market economy, encouraged the private sector, and laid the foundations for a new entrepreneurial class. Her government introduced value-added tax (VAT), which expanded the tax net. Today, VAT is the largest source of revenue in Bangladesh, accounting for nearly 38 percent of tax collection.
She made primary education free and compulsory, introduced the "Food for Education" programme, and made secondary education free for girls—initiatives that increased enrolment and reduced gender disparity.
Still, her government faced criticism, particularly after the controversial Magura by-election in 1994. In response, the Awami League, Jatiya Party, and Jamaat-e-Islami formed a three-party alliance that led widespread movements demanding a neutral caretaker government for elections. At the time, Khaleda declared, "Only children or lunatics can be neutral."
The crisis culminated in the one-sided election of February 15, 1996—boycotted by the opposition—in which 48 candidates were elected unopposed. Khaleda resigned on March 30, 1996, but before dissolving parliament, her government introduced the constitutional amendment establishing the caretaker system, under which fresh elections were held in June.
In opposition, Khaleda rebuilt the party. After the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, she accelerated political agitation against the Awami League government and in 1999 formed the Four-Party Alliance—which included Ershad's Jatiya Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Oikya Jote. This alliance won the 2001 election, although the inclusion of Jamaat leaders—accused of war crimes—drew fierce criticism. Allegations of minority persecution further damaged her government's image.
Her third term (2001–2006) was a period of strong economic growth. Remittances increased, the industrial sector expanded rapidly, especially garment production and small enterprises.
But this period was also clouded by controversies. There were corruption allegations, the perception of an alternative power centre at Hawa Bhaban, dynastic politics, the 2004 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina's rally, and nationwide bombings by extremist groups—all harmed her reputation.
By late 2006, political tensions peaked, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in January 2007. Khaleda resigned and handed power to a caretaker government. She was arrested later the same year.
After the 2008 election, she faced further personal hardship. She was evicted from her long-time residence in the cantonment area. In 2014, when the BNP announced the "March for Democracy," sand-laden trucks were placed at the entrance to her home.
She boycotted the controversial 2014 election and again the 2024 election, although the BNP took part in 2018—an election marred by allegations of widespread vote-rigging.
Her difficulties deepened with corruption cases. In 2018, she was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she was released from prison and put under house arrest. She has long suffered from severe illnesses—liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and complications in her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyes.
On August 6, 2024—one day after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country amid a mass uprising—Khaleda Zia emerged from five years of house arrest. On November 21, 2024, she appeared in public for the first time in six years, at an event in Dhaka Cantonment marking Armed Forces Day.
Khaleda Zia is distinct from other rulers because she has never been described as authoritarian. In every constituency she contested, she never lost. From Bogura to Dhaka, from Khulna to Feni—her victories demonstrate her nationwide popularity and acceptance.
Her career also highlights the value of uncompromising principles. By boycotting the 1986 election, she risked political isolation, but ultimately gained credibility as the unwavering opponent of dictatorship.
Her politics was not flawless—there were controversies, allegations of corruption, and political missteps. Yet in guiding Bangladesh's democratic journey, she proved that leadership requires perseverance, adaptability, and the ability to inspire people even in adversity.
When history recalls her, one truth will shine above all—real leadership never forged through fear or force, but through faith in people. To believe in their strength, their dreams, and their dignity is to earn their trust. And it is this bond of trust that sets an extraordinary leader apart from the rest. Khaleda had sealed that bond of trust.
