Khaleda Zia vs Sheikh Hasina: How the ‘Battle of Begums’ shaped Bangladesh politics. Explainer

Bangladesh's first female leader Khaleda Zia was released from house arrest on Tuesday, just one day after her rival, Sheikh Hasina, resigned as prime minister and fled the country.

This development added a new chapter to the long-standing “Battle of the Begums” for control of Bangladesh. According to President Mohammed Shahabuddin's office, Khaleda, the leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was freed following discussions with defence officials and politicians.

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Since 1991, Sheikh Hasina, 76, and Khaleda Zia, 78, have been the central figures in Bangladeshi politics. They often alternate in power after inheriting the political legacies of two assassinated leaders who ruled Bangladesh in its early years.

Sheikh Hasina led the Awami League, founded by her father, Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975. Their ongoing rivalry, often called the “Battle of the Begums,” has overshadowed Bangladeshi politics for decades.

Since Hasina's rise to power in 2009, Khaleda has faced numerous criminal charges and imprisonment. She has retreated from public life and left her exiled eldest son to lead her political movement as acting leader.

What led Khaleda Zia to become a ‘politician’?

Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia now suffers from liver disease, diabetes, and heart problems, according to her doctors.

The assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dramatically altered Bangladesh's history. In 1977, shortly after the assassination, General Ziaur Rahman, the then army chief, seized control of the country from President Khondoker Mostaq Ahmad and established a military dictatorship, according to a report by ORF.

Upon taking power, Ziaur Rahman granted amnesty to Bangabandhu's assassins, appointing them to diplomatic positions. He also allowed leaders of organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Razakars, who had collaborated with the Pakistani army during the genocide, to return. These groups had been banned and labelled as war criminals by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after Bangladesh's liberation war.

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In 1975, Ziaur Rahman introduced an indemnity law that granted immunity to those involved in the assassination conspiracy. This law was later repealed when Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996. Zia also permitted various pro-Pakistan politicians and organizations to form political parties and participate in elections during the 1980s.

He founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which was led by his widow, Khaleda Zia, following his assassination in a coup attempt in 1981. Khaleda Zia, in coalition with JeI, served two terms as prime minister, during which Bangladesh-India relations languished.

The report citing intelligence sources suggested that Zia and his army colleagues were involved in the assassination conspiracy, which was supported and financed by Pakistani generals and the Inter-Services Intelligence, who were still reeling from their defeat in the 1971 war.

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Trained by the Pakistani army, Zia adopted its mindset, favouring military coups and anchoring Bangladesh's nationalism in Islamic and anti-Indian sentiments, in contrast to the secular ideals championed by Bangabandhu and the Awami League. Zia's successor, General Hussein Muhammad Ershad, later amended the Constitution to declare Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh.

How did Khaleda rule Bangladesh?

Khaleda Zia replaced the presidential system with a parliamentary form of government, shifting power to the prime minister. She also removed restrictions on foreign investment and made primary education compulsory and free.

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After losing to Hasina in the 1996 election, Khaleda regained power in the 2001 election. Her second term, however, was overshadowed by the rise of Islamist militants and allegations of corruption.

“Battle of Begums”

In 2004, a grenade attack targeted a rally addressed by Sheikh Hasina. While Hasina survived, the attack resulted in over 20 deaths and more than 500 injuries. The government led by Khaleda Zia and its Islamic allies were widely blamed for the attack. Years later, Zia's eldest son was tried in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the attack, though the BNP claimed the charges were fabricated.

Despite Khaleda Zia's efforts to curb Islamist radical groups, her second term as prime minister ended in 2006 when an army-backed interim government assumed control amid political turmoil and street violence. The interim government detained both Khaleda and Hasina on charges of corruption and abuse of power for about a year before releasing them in time for the general election in 2008.

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Although the BNP boycotted the 2008 election and Khaleda Zia did not regain power, her bitter feud with Sheikh Hasina shaped Bangladeshi politics.

The rivalry between their parties has frequently led to strikes, violence, and fatalities, hindering economic progress in a poverty-stricken nation of nearly 170 million people, which is also vulnerable to severe flooding.

In 2018, Khaleda, her eldest son (who had been in exile since 2008), and several aides were convicted of embezzling approximately $250,000 in foreign donations intended for an orphanage trust established during her last term as prime minister. Khaleda claimed these charges were part of a scheme to exclude her and her family from politics.

She was imprisoned but was placed under house arrest in March 2020 on humanitarian grounds due to deteriorating health.

Zia's last visit to India was in 2012 as the Leader of the Opposition and Chairperson of the BNP.

(With inputs from agencies)