BNP chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Photo : Collected

DHAKA, Dec 31, 2025 (BSS) – Begum Khaleda Zia today embarked on her final journey, taking her through the places that defined her life—home, hospital, prison and parliament. Each step charted the transformation of an ordinary, yet aristocratic girl into one of Bangladesh’s few most celebrated political figures. More than mere physical locations, these addresses are silent witnesses to the struggle that shaped her entire life, serving as an example for every politician.

Khaleda Zia was physically sound when she was sentenced by the court on 8th February 2018 and walked into the old jail on Nazimuddin Road. Begum Khaleda Zia entered prison healthy; she came out ill. During her incarceration, her condition deteriorated and prompted her to be taken from jail to the PG Hospital. From that point onward, illness never truly left her.

During the Awami League regime, she was repeatedly required to appear in court. At times, with special permission from jail authorities, she attended court hearings from home, Feroza, and hospital. Court appearances became a regular part of her life, adding further strain to her declining health. 

Apollo Hospital, which is now Evercare Hospital, was another important place she lived in her later years. There, she lived for a significant portion of her life. As her condition deteriorated, frequent hospital stays became normal. Every time she was brought to Evercare, activists, party leaders, well-wishers, and political colleagues gathered to see her. She eventually made the hospital her second temporary residence. And from Evercare Hospital, on December 31, she began her final journey toward eternal rest.

One of Begum Khaleda Zia’s most cherished residences was her home on Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment, the house of her husband, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. This was his official residence during his tenure as Chief of the Army Staff of Bangladesh. It was there that their two sons—Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko—were born and raised. After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, the house was allocated to Begum Khaleda Zia in his honour, becoming her permanent home.

The house carried memories of Begum Khaleda Zia as a wife, as a mother, as a politician, and as a prime minister. On November 13, 2010, the Awami League government took the house away, and Begum Khaleda Zia, was forced to leave. Her son Tarique Rahman had already been compelled to leave the country in 2008, paralyzed following torture. Leaving behind a home filled with lifelong memories, she moved to a new residence, Feroza in Gulshan.

Feroza saw a different Begum Khaleda Zia, one who was sick, frail, and frequently by herself. She lived alone there. Visitors were restricted to a small group of close friends and political colleagues. She couldn’t leave the house and couldn't move around freely. It was as much of a prison as it was her home.

In 2013, trucks and lorries were stationed outside Feroza, preventing her from leaving. It was an act of profound disrespect toward the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh. From BNP Chairperson’s office, she bid her final farewell to her son Arafat Rahman Koko in 2015. Once again, she remained alone -at home, yet imprisoned.

Another important place in her life was the National Parliament. As the First Lady of Bangladesh, as Prime Minister, and as Leader of the Opposition, parliament was one of her key political residences. She served as Prime Minister for more than ten years. The Jatiya Sangsad thus stood as one of the final landmarks of her long political journey.

Just a few days before being admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23, 2025, Begum Khaleda Zia visited the mausoleum of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and offered prayers there. Today, as she leaves Evercare for the last time, she is to be laid to rest beside her husband—at Ziaur Rahman’s mausoleum. It is not only her husband’s grave, but her final home.

On her last day, December 31, 2025, Begum Khaleda Zia passed through four of her residences: Evercare Hospital, Feroza, the National Parliament, and finally, her husband’s mausoleum. Her namaz-e-janaza was held at Manik Mia Avenue, the very place where Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman’s funeral prayer was held.

The Cantonment House, Evercare, Feroza, The National Parliament these were not just any address, these places reflect the journey of the Uncompromising Leader Begum Khaleda Zia.

When she said, “Bangladesh is my only address. Where will I go, leaving my country?” she meant it. This soil, this nation, and its people were her life. Where would she go, leaving them behind? She could never leave her country. In the end, the land of Bangladesh became her eternal address.