India, Dec. 30 -- Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister and one of its most formidable political figures, died on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, after days of battling an illness. She was 80. Her party announced the tragic news of demise on its social media page, saying she passed away at around 6 am this morning, right after the Fajr prayers.

"We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul," the BNP said in a post on its Facebook page.

Khaleda Zia, born in Jalpaiguri, then part of the undivided Dinajpur district of British India, went on to make history in 1991 when she became Bangladesh's first woman prime minister. The daughter of Iskandar and Taiyaba Majumder, she led...