Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first woman PM, dies at 80

Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said. According to her doctors, Khaleda had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest and heart problems. "Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00am, just after Fajr prayer," a post on the BNP’s Facebook page said. Zia had been undergoing treatment at Dhaka's Evercare Hospital since November 23 and on December 11, she was placed on ventilator support. Just two days ago, her personal physician had confirmed that the former Prime Minister was in an "extremely critical" condition. Her treatment was being overseen by specialists from Bangladesh, the UK, the US, China, and Australia.

Zia was convicted in 2018 in a 2008 corruption case related to misappropriating funds meant for orphans.Khaleda Zia was prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and returned to office from 2001 to 2006. She was the country’s first woman prime minister. She is the widow of Ziaur Rahman, the former president of Bangladesh and an army commander.