New Delhi, Dec. 30 -- The five-decade-old political rivalry of Bangladesh's "battling Begums" has ended. In what can be considered a 'draw', Begum Khaleda Zia, 80, the two-term prime minister, lost her battle for life this morning, and Sheikh Hasina, who ruled longer, is exiled in India after being ousted last year.
But while Hasina and her Awami League are barred from contesting the elections next February, Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is perceived as the likely winner.
Zia's death, notionally though, clears the leadership line for her son Tarique Rahman. Poignantly, his reunion with the ailing mother after 17 years' exile in London occurred barely five days ago, as if in time to bid farewell.
Conventional thinking in times ...