Sheikh Hasina’s social rival Khaleda Zia, a former Bangladeshi prime minister and popular opposition figure, has been released from years of house arrest. Hasina resigned as country’s prime minister after a series of rallies on Monday that caused her to flee.
After Hasina’s disaster departure, the military commander announced the formation of an interim government. Also, orders were given to free dominant political detainees, including Zia.
Zia, 78, had been serving a 17-year jail sentence for graft since 2018 during Hasina’s leadership. A. K. M Wahiduzzaman, a spokesman for Zia’s party, the Bangladesh National Party ( BNP ), stated on Tuesday,” She is now freed”. Zia is apparently in weak health, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver, and uses a chair.
The social conflict between Zia and Hasina, known as the “battle of begums”, has shaped Bangladesh’s social environment for years. Their hate can be traced back to the death of Hasina’s parents, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh, in a 1975 defense revolution. Additionally, many different members of the family were killed.
Zia’s father, Ziaur Rahman, was the assistant army chief at that time and took control of the government three months later. He sparked monetary changes in the impoverished nation, but he was killed by a military coup in 1981.
Zia rose to power as the BNP’s leader and opposed Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s rule, despite being first labeled a politically inexperienced housewife. In 1986, she spearheaded rallies and boycotted elections before joining Hasina to end Ershad.
The following decades saw Zia and Hasina additional in strength, with Zia serving as Prime Minister from 1991-1996 and again from 2001-2006.
Their mutual hatred was made clear in January 2007, which led to the defense imposing emergency law and the formation of a caretaker government. For more than a year, both officials were being held. Hasina won a re-elected position in 2008, regaining it with a sweeping defeat, and held that position until her most recent trip to India.
Hasina’s career was marked by a assault on BNP people, with tens of thousands detained and several fading. Zia’s 2018 judgment on graft claims was dismissed by her celebration as politically motivated. Under the problem that she stayed away from politics and sought medical care abroad, she was placed under house arrest.
Zia’s second term as prime minister was credited with liberalising Bangladesh’s market in the first 1990s, leading to years of economic growth. Nevertheless, her second term was ruined by corruption allegations against her leadership, her sons, and a number of Islamist attacks, all of which almost cost Hasina’s life.
During her prison, her eldest child, Tarique Rahman, led the BNP from exile in London. According to the BNP, Zia was found guilty in proceedings and given life in prison for his alleged role in a 2004 bombing that he claimed was to distract from Zia’s political influence.
Zia’s unwavering resolve gained respect for her, despite the fact that her inability to deal frequently prevented her from forming significant alliances both domestically and internationally.
Yet in private drama, such as the death of her youngest child from a heart attack in Malaysia in 2015, Zia’s rebellion was visible. Hasina visited Zia’s home to prolong her apologies, but Zia did not open the lock.
