Overview
- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party confirmed Zia died in a Dhaka hospital, with local reports citing prior heart and lung infections and weeks of treatment.
- Authorities scheduled her burial for Wednesday following the interim government's declaration of national mourning.
- Zia had recently signaled a return to the ballot and party staff filed her candidacy hours before her death for the February 12 parliamentary election.
- Attention is turning to her son Tarique Rahman, who returned last week after 17 years in exile and is being discussed as a potential standard-bearer for the BNP.
- Her death comes as Bangladesh navigates a fraught transition after Sheikh Hasina was ousted in 2024 and sentenced to death in absentia in November, a process criticized by international observers.