Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia died on early Tuesday at the age of 80. A dominant figure in the country's politics for decades, Zia remained the key rival of Sheikh Hasina, the long-serving leader now living in exile in New Delhi after being forced to flee amid nationwide unrest in 2024, the Daily Star reported.Zia had been in a critical condition for months and was undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital.Her death comes just days after her son, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh from London, ending 17 years of self-imposed exile as the country heads toward crucial elections.She was the first woman in Bangladesh to hold the office of prime minister.She married Ziaur Rahman in 1959, who later went on to become Bangladesh's president in 1977.After his assassination by military officers in 1981, she entered active politics and assumed leadership of the BNP in 1984.Zia led the opposition to victory in 1991, becoming the first woman to serve as Bangladesh prime minister. She held the office from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006.