Khaleda Zia, who made history as Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and shaped the country’s politics for decades, died on Tuesday after a long illness, her party said.

Zia, aged 80, had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, chest and heart problems, her doctors said.

A post on the party’s Facebook read: “BNP chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia passed away today at 6am just after Fajr (dawn prayer) […] We seek forgiveness of his soul and pray for his departed soul from everyone.”

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026 — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.

Zia’s BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.

But in late November she was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition declined from a raft of health issues.

During her final days, interim leader Muhammad Yunus called for the nation to pray for Zia, calling her a “source of utmost inspiration for the nation”.

BNP’s media chief Moudud Alamgir Pavel also confirmed Zia’s death to AFP.

Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

She was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.

There had been plans earlier this month to fly her on a special air ambulance to London, but her condition was not stable enough.

Her son, political heavyweight Tarique Rahman, only returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in self-imposed exile on Thursday, where he was welcomed back by huge crowds of joyous supporters.

Rahman will lead the party through the February 12 general election, and is expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.

• Pakistan calls move unilateral, unlawful, violation of int’l law.
• Envoy urges UNSC to reject actions undermining Somalia’s unity.
• OIC, UK, China reject recognition of Somaliland as independent.
  

At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Pakistan has strongly condemned the “unilateral and unlawful” recognition by Israel of the “Somaliland” region of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which drew condemnation from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other countries.

“It is a direct assault on Somalia’s internationally recognised borders,” said Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, while addressing the UNSC’s briefing on Monday.

He added that Tel Aviv’s move “constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday. This decision could reshape regional dynamics and test Somalia’s longstanding opposition to secession.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office had strongly reacted to the Israeli announcement, terming it a violation of international norms and affirming Islamabad’s complete support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia.

The OIC and other countries, in a joint statement issued on Sunday, slammed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, terming it a threat to international peace and security.

China and the United Kingdom (UK) are also among the countries that refused to recognise the Somaliland region as independent.

“The ‘Somaliland’ region remains an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of Somalia. No external actor has either the legal standing or the moral authority to alter that fundamental reality,” said the envoy.

“A group of OIC countries, including Pakistan, has unequivocally rejected Israel’s unlawful move, noting its serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and international peace and security as a whole. The joint statement terms the ‘recognition of parts of States’ a violation of the cardinal principles of international law and the United Nations Charter,” said Jadoon.

The ambassador praised the President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud-led Somalian government for making progress on national reconciliation, constitutional reforms, and the revitalisation of state institutions.

“Similarly, the phased two-year transition of the United Nations presence in Somalia is progressing smoothly. The handover of responsibilities under the first phase of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) has been completed, and the roadmap for the second and final phase has been finalised, with the Mission scheduled to cease operations on October 31, 2026.”

Islamabad also acknowledged the sacrifices and resilience of the Somali people and their security forces, supported by AU-UN missions, against terrorism.

Pakistan urged that the positive momentum must be protected and reinforced, not undermined by actions that risk fragmenting the country and reversing hard-won progress.

“Therefore, at this pivotal juncture, when Somalia is focused on defeating extremism, any action that diverts attention, weakens cohesion, or fuels division is profoundly irresponsible.”

Against the backdrop of Israel’s previous references to Somaliland as a destination for the deportation of Palestinian people, especially from Gaza, Jadoon said that its unlawful recognition of the region is deeply troubling.

“For decades, Israel’s dispossession and occupation of Palestinian land have been a central source of instability and conflict in the Middle East,” said the envoy.

“It is now exporting this destabilising conduct to the Horn of Africa, with serious implications for regional peace and security,” he added.

In conclusion, Pakistan called upon the Security Council and the broader international community to speak with one voice and reject all actions that undermine Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity.