Overview
- Her party said she died at 6:00 am local time in Dhaka after weeks in intensive care at Evercare Hospital, where she had been on ventilator support since December 11.
- The BNP announced seven days of mourning, while the government declared three days of state mourning with funeral prayers at the National Parliament’s South Plaza and burial with state honors at Zia Udyan.
- India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to attend the funeral, with regional leaders issuing condolences recognizing her national stature.
- Her son and BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman returned on December 25 after 17 years in self-imposed exile and is reported to be present as the party moves toward the February 2026 vote.
- A Supreme Court acquittal in January 2025 cleared her last corruption case, but longstanding heart, liver and kidney illnesses kept her out of active campaigning after her May return to Bangladesh.