https://www.scmp.com/rss/522704/feed The latest news and top stories on Khaleda Zia. She served as the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh across three terms (1991-1996, 2001-2006). As chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, she spearheaded movements for democracy against military rule in the 1980s. Her premiership focused on economic reforms, privatising industries and boosting employment, alongside significant advancements in education including free primary schooling and girls’ stipends. Recently, she was... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh’s prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman on Saturday dedicated his landslide election win to those who “sacrificed for democracy”, calling for unity after the first polls since a deadly 2024 uprising. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Rahman, 60, the scion of one of the most powerful political dynasties, is set to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people after sweeping elections on Thursday. “This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy,” he said, in his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343587/bangladesh-pm-be-celebrates-landslide-win-thanks-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343587/bangladesh-pm-be-celebrates-landslide-win-thanks-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 11:21:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh’s election campaign entered its final day on Monday before this week’s vote, with rival parties invoking the 2024 uprising that ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina. Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters attended a succession of rival rallies across the sprawling capital Dhaka, as parties sought to harness the legacy of the mass uprising and pitch competing visions of change for the country of 170 million in Thursday’s election. The South Asian nation will elect a 350-seat... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342969/bangladeshs-political-parties-campaign-over-revolutions-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342969/bangladeshs-political-parties-campaign-over-revolutions-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:32:47 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Controversial remarks in Bangladesh by a politician who questioned women’s ability to perform jobs because of their child-bearing role have caused an uproar ahead of the general election in a country where female workers form the spine of its mainstay garment sector. Shafiqur Rahman, the chief of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, also ruled out the possibility of a woman assuming the Islamist party’s top post. In a TV interview, Rahman said women with babies should be given the option of fewer... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342709/outcry-bangladesh-over-politicians-call-curb-women-workforce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342709/outcry-bangladesh-over-politicians-call-curb-women-workforce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:00:26 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Bangladesh’s recent pull-out over perceived security concerns for the showpiece T20 World Cup cricket hosted by India and Sri Lanka next month has underscored the unprecedented way regional political tensions have spilled over into sports. Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in the 20-team event on Saturday after the International Cricket Council rejected Dhaka’s request to move its matches to Sri Lanka, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341669/bangladeshs-cricket-boycott-exposes-deepening-cracks-south-asian-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341669/bangladeshs-cricket-boycott-exposes-deepening-cracks-south-asian-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The death of Bangladesh’s three-time former prime minister Khaleda Zia just days after her son Tarique Rahman returned from a 17-year exile has created a groundswell of sympathy for the family, with analysts saying Zia’s legacy may tilt the country’s February election in favour of her party. With the polls set to be the first since student-led protests toppled the government of Zia’s long-time rival, Sheikh Hasina, and the Awami League barred from contesting, analysts said Zia’s death on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338300/why-return-zias-son-may-influence-bangladeshs-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338300/why-return-zias-son-may-influence-bangladeshs-election?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 08:57:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shook hands with party leaders after touching down at the Dhaka airport. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, a visibly emotional Rahman took off his shoes, stood on the grass outside the airport and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3337721/aspiring-bangladesh-pm-tarique-rahman-welcomed-home-after-17-years-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3337721/aspiring-bangladesh-pm-tarique-rahman-welcomed-home-after-17-years-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 09:46:01 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India’s decision to suspend visa services from Bangladesh’s port city of Chittagong after a fresh bout of political violence underscores how difficult it may be for bilateral ties to return to normal any time soon, analysts have said. The suspension, announced on Sunday, followed protests triggered by the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, a youth leader linked to last year’s student-led uprising, who was shot in Dhaka on December 12 and later died from his injuries at a hospital in Singapore after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337371/indias-partial-visa-suspension-signals-unease-over-bangladeshs-recent-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337371/indias-partial-visa-suspension-signals-unease-over-bangladeshs-recent-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:06:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Violence broke out in Bangladesh’s capital early on Friday after a youth leader of the country’s 2024 pro-democracy uprising who was injured in an assassination attempt died in a hospital in Singapore. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was announced, to demand that his killers be arrested. Several buildings in the capital, including those housing the country’s two leading newspapers, were set on fire, according to authorities, with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3336979/violence-erupts-bangladesh-after-shot-leader-youth-uprising-dies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3336979/violence-erupts-bangladesh-after-shot-leader-youth-uprising-dies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:47:27 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Bangladesh’s national security adviser recently made a low-profile visit to New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart, in what many in Dhaka saw as a sign that the neighbours might reset ties following months of tensions over the self-exile of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India. The meeting was the highest-level contact since Bangladesh’s interim government took office. But analysts say that the path to normalising relations remains uncertain, even if India is willing to work... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336093/are-india-and-bangladesh-sidestepping-hasinas-exile-improve-frayed-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336093/are-india-and-bangladesh-sidestepping-hasinas-exile-improve-frayed-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 02:00:12 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Two months before Bangladesh heads to the polls for the first time since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, the most established party still in the race, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is facing deep uncertainty as its two top figures are either gravely ill or stuck abroad. BNP chair Begum Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, is battling serious complications involving her heart, liver and lungs and is expected to be flown to London from Dhaka for treatment, while her son Tarique... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335640/why-a-leading-party-in-Bangladesh-is-facing-uncertainty-as-election-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335640/why-a-leading-party-in-Bangladesh-is-facing-uncertainty-as-election-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:00:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorated since being admitted to hospital, prompting her family and party members to urge citizens to pray for her speedy recovery on Saturday. Zia, 80, was admitted to hospital on November 23 with symptoms of a lung infection and was currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit, members of her party said. Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir, from Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told reporters late Friday that “doctors have told... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3334612/bangladesh-ex-pm-khaleda-zia-very-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3334612/bangladesh-ex-pm-khaleda-zia-very-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 08:03:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Bangladesh’s interim leader announced on Tuesday that the parliamentary election will be in February, as the country marked a year since a student-led uprising led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Muhammad Yunus spoke in a televised address and said he would request that the Election Commission organise the election before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. That will begin on February 17 or 18, depending on when the new crescent moon is sighted there. Earlier on Tuesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3320870/bangladeshs-interim-leader-muhammad-yunus-sets-february-election-date-amid-reform-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3320870/bangladeshs-interim-leader-muhammad-yunus-sets-february-election-date-amid-reform-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:02:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A violent clash in Bangladesh on Wednesday between a student-led political movement and supporters of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has exposed deep political fault lines, with analysts warning of further unrest. At least four people were killed and dozens injured when members of the National Citizen Party (NCP) – formed by student activists – marched on Gopalganj district, a traditional stronghold of Hasina’s Awami League and the site of a mausoleum dedicated to her father, independence... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318745/has-bangladeshs-post-hasina-transition-hit-violent-roadblock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318745/has-bangladeshs-post-hasina-transition-hit-violent-roadblock?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 08:31:40 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Bangladeshi security forces on Wednesday clashed with supporters of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, leaving at least four people dead and scores injured, a hospital official and local media said. The violence erupted in the morning and spread as a new political party formed by students who led the uprising against Hasina in August last year announced a march towards southwestern Gopalganj district, Hasina’s ancestral and her Awami League party’s stronghold. Authorities later imposed an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318520/bangladesh-violence-leaves-least-4-dead-post-hasina-turmoil-persists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318520/bangladesh-violence-leaves-least-4-dead-post-hasina-turmoil-persists?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 04:00:16 +0000