Overview
- Former prime minister Khaleda Zia died on December 30 at age 80 after a prolonged illness.
- BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said Sheikh Hasina “will never be free of responsibility,” alleging a personal vendetta and that Zia left prison seriously ill.
- He claimed doctors at home and abroad warned her condition worsened because she was prevented from seeking treatment outside Bangladesh for four years under house arrest.
- Funeral prayers at Manik Mia Avenue drew large crowds, with envoys from 32 countries attending and India represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
- BNP figures also decried her eviction and 17-year sentence as fabricated, while recalling her three terms as Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister.