BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas spoke at a Milad and doa mahfils ceremony held in Nayapaltan office today. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Aug 15, 2025 (BSS) – The 81st birthday of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was celebrated across the country with holding doa and milad mahfils.

Since the BNP instructed its leaders and activists to refrain from cutting cakes or holding celebratory events on the occasion, the party men observed the day through religious events, including doa and milad mahfils, at BNP offices and different mosques across the country, including in the capital city.

On her birthday, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today sent a bouquet of flowers to BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Besides, on Thursday night, the Chinese Ambassador's office also sent a birthday bouquet for the BNP chairperson.

On the occasion, a doa mahfil was held at the BNP's Nayapaltan headquarters while prayers were offered for the departed souls of those who lost their lives during the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 mass uprising and the 2024 student-people uprising and for the recovery of those injured.

Begum Khaleda Zia, a prominent figure in the country's political history and widely regarded as the leader of Bangladesh's nationalist forces, was born on August 15, 1945, in Dinajpur. She is the daughter of Iskander Majumdar of Fulgazi, Feni and Tayyaba Majumdar of Chandanbari. While studying at Dinajpur Surendranath College, she married then Pakistan Army Captain Ziaur Rahman.

The couple had two sons: BNP's current acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, and the late Arafat Rahman. After the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman on May 31, 1981, Begum Zia-until then a private individual entered politics at the insistence of party leaders and grassroots supporters.

Begum Zia officially joined the BNP on January 3, 1982 and was elected party Chairperson unopposed on May 10, 1984. Her leadership became especially prominent during the anti-autocracy movement of the late 1980s.

In 1991, Begum Zia became the first female Prime Minister of the country following the restoration of parliamentary democracy. She served three terms as prime minister and in 1993, became the first woman to chair the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Her final term in office followed the October 2001 elections, when the four-party alliance led by BNP returned to power. After the political upheaval during the 1/11 interim government period, she was imprisoned on September 3, 2007 under the military-backed caretaker regime. She was released a year later in September 2008.

In the 2008 general elections, BNP failed to secure enough seats to form the government. Begum Zia was later imprisoned again on February 8, 2018, in a controversial case widely described by BNP as politically motivated.

During her incarceration in an old and damp prison facility, Begum Zia's health deteriorated significantly. Despite repeated appeals from her family and recommendations from medical experts, the government denied permission to send her abroad for treatment.

She was granted conditional release on March 25, 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak and placed under house arrest at her rented residence in Gulshan, 'Firoza', with movement restricted between her home and hospital.

Her health continued to decline and following a series of hospitalizations, she was eventually flown to London on January 8, 2025, in a special air ambulance provided by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. She received specialized treatment at The London Clinic under the care of Professors Patrick Kennedy and Jennifer Cross.

After four months abroad, Begum Zia returned home on May 6, 2025, in the same air ambulance. Prior to her return, she had stayed at her son Tarique Rahman's residence in London since January 25.

Begum Zia suffers from multiple chronic health issues, including liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, diabetes, arthritis and heart complications.

Her birthday on August 15 has long been a point of political contention.

The BNP has repeatedly accused the former Awami League government of spreading disinformation and launching legal and physical attacks against party members for observing the day, which coincides with day of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Despite years of controversy, the BNP continues to mark Begum Zia's birthday with quiet observances rather than public celebrations, emphasizing prayers and party unity.