DHAKA — The death of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has prompted an outpouring of grief within the country and condolences around the world, with leaders highlighting her service to the nation as its first female premier.

Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister, has died from a prolonged illness. She was 80 years old. Zia's family members, including Rahman, his wife and his daughter, were by her side in her last moments.

Bangladesh has declared three days of state mourning. Asif Nazrul, who holds the law portfolio in the interim government, said Zia's funeral will be held on Wednesday, with funeral prayers to be held in front of parliament after midday prayers, before she is buried alongside her late husband, the assassinated former President Ziaur Rahman.

Khaleda died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she was admitted on November 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website. Her doctors said she had advanced ​cirrhosis ‌of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest ‌and heart ‌problems.

The country’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expressed “profound sorrow” at the three-time prime minister’s death. He described her as a “symbol of the democratic movement” and said her struggle to establish “democracy, a multi-party political culture and the rights of the people in Bangladesh will be remembered forever”.

“I am deeply saddened and grief-stricken by her death,” he added.

In a television broadcast to the nation, he acknowledged it was a “deeply emotional” time for the country and appealed for calm.

“I humbly appeal to everyone to maintain discipline while observing all forms of mourning, including the funeral prayers. I know you are all deeply emotional at this time.”

Zia's longtime political rival, Sheikh Hasina, who remains in exile in India following her overthrow last year, also offered condolences.

“As the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and for her role in the struggle to establish democracy, her contributions to the nation were significant and will be remembered. Her passing represents a profound loss for Bangladesh’s political life and for the leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” Hasina said in a post shared online by her Awami League.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by Zia's death and offered his “sincerest condolences” to her family and the people of Bangladesh.

“As the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, her important contributions towards the development of Bangladesh, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered,” Modi wrote on X.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sadness and described Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan”.

Zia intended to run for parliament in February, when the country will vote for the first time since a popular revolution in late 2024 unseated Hasina.

Thrust into the political limelight following the assassination of her husband, then-president Ziaur Rahman, she went on to become Bangladesh's first female prime minister in 1991.

Her career, which included spells in prison and house arrest, was defined by a bitter feud with Hasina. She was acquitted of corruption and allowed to travel to London for treatment only after Hasina lost power.

"Our favourite leader is no longer with us. She left us at 6am this morning," Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced on Facebook on Tuesday.

When news of her death broke, crowds gathered outside Evercare Hospital in Dhaka where Zia had been admitted.

As the wife of Bangladesh's former president Rahman, Zia was a reserved presence alongside her famous husband. When he was killed in a military coup in 1981, Zia entered politics and went on to lead the BNP in the country's first elections in 20 years.

Known as an "uncompromising leader" after refusing to take part in a controversial election under military ruler General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in the 1980s, Zia broke through a male-dominated political landscape and transformed into one of Bangladesh's most formidable political leaders.

Her first term was widely praised for efforts to improve women's education and social development, with her government bringing back parliamentary democracy by amending the constitution with bipartisan support.

Her second term in 1996, which lasted only weeks, drew criticism for staging a one-sided election despite opposition demands for a neutral caretaker authority — a measure parliament approved before dissolving.

Zia returned as prime minister in 2001, stepping down in October 2006 ahead of a general election. Her administration faced sharp criticism over allegations of corruption.

Over the past 16 years, under the Awami League government, Zia became the most prominent symbol of resistance to Hasina's rule many saw as increasingly autocratic.

She boycotted the 2014 election after her rival Hasina scrapped the caretaker government system — a provision meant to ensure neutrality during national polls. Later, Zia was convicted on corruption charges and jailed. She denied wrongdoing and said the charges were politically motivated.

She was released in January 2025, soon after mass anti-government protests in Bangladesh toppled Hasina, forcing her into exile in India. She has since been convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown of the protests.

The BNP had said in November that Zia would campaign in the upcoming general elections. The party is eyeing a return to power, and if that happens, Zia's son Tarique Rahman is expected to become the country's new leader.

Rahman, 60, had only returned to Bangladesh last week after 17 years in self-imposed exile in London.

Zia had been in hospital for the past month, receiving treatment for kidney damage, heart disease and pneumonia, among other conditions.

Despite being kept away from public life due to her health, Zia remained a figurehead for opposition forces.

"We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul," her BNP party said in its statement on Tuesday. — Agencies