Khaleda Zia, BangladeshThe passing of Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister and long-time chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), marks the end of an era in the country’s post-Independence political history.Her decades-long rivalry with Sheikh Hasina was not merely personal but was also a continuation of an older ideological struggle over Bangladesh’s identity and political destiny — one rooted in the competing legacies of Ziaur Rahman and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. For years, the persistent tension between Bengali nationalism and Islamist forces has prevented Bangladesh from fully realising its economic and democratic potential. Khaleda Zia’s passing coincides with the return of her son, Tarique Rahman. He now faces the formidable task of charting an independent course for the BNP while playing a stabilising role in national politics.M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan, Tamil NaduThe concern now is less about legacy and more about the present vacuum. Bangladesh needs institutions that rise above personalities. Ensuring credible elections, judicial independence and space for dissent will honour her stated commitment to democratic norms. For neighbours, including India, a stable and plural Bangladesh is what matters. Quiet diplomatic engagement that supports democratic processes, not factions, is the most practical way forward at this sensitive moment.A. Myilsami,CoimbatoreAs the BNP confronts its biggest test, the nation itself faces a larger issue: how to steer its future away from the perils of mismanagement, restore institutional trust, and build a political environment worthy of its democratic inheritance. History will judge Khaleda Zia with complexity.Vijay Singh Adhikari,Nainital, UttarakhandChina’s signalChina has scaled up its intimidation of Taiwan and its claim rests on an unresolved civil war and contested history. In contrast, Russia’s claim over Ukrainian territory rests on neither consent nor law. Yet, precedent matters more than nuance in geopolitics. If Ukraine’s sovereignty can be partitioned under ongoing “peace” initiatives and sanctified by diplomacy under duress, China could cite time, power and persistence to justify reunification by coercion.The danger lies in the erosion of a core principle: borders cannot be changed by force. Ukraine, then, is not only defending its territory. It is defending a tenet whose collapse would echo in the Taiwan Strait and beyond.R. Narayanan,Navi MumbaiPublished - January 01, 2026 12:24 am IST