BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said on Tuesday that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina could never escape responsibility for the death of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Speaking at Manik Mia Avenue shortly before Khaleda Zia’s namaz-e-janaza, Nazrul recalled that on February 8, 2018, Khaleda Zia was sent to prison as a result of what he described as Sheikh Hasina’s personal vendetta. He said she emerged from jail in a critically ill condition.

According to Nazrul, Khaleda Zia’s long imprisonment, the lack of adequate medical care, and restrictions on receiving treatment abroad severely deteriorated her health and ultimately led to her death. He added that doctors both at home and overseas had stated her condition worsened because she was denied permission to seek treatment abroad during nearly four years of confinement. For this reason, he said, Sheikh Hasina could never be absolved of responsibility.

Khaleda Zia’s body was brought to a temporary stage at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad around 2:45 pm for her funeral prayers. Later, Nazrul Islam Khan delivered a brief account of her life on behalf of the party.

He spoke about how she entered politics following the assassination of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, and highlighted her long struggle for democracy, her firm commitment to democratic principles, and her deep sense of patriotism. He also urged people to pray for her departed soul.

Nazrul said Khaleda Zia never surrendered to pressure from any domestic or foreign force and never compromised on democracy, freedom of expression, or voting rights, despite repeated repression. He noted that she had been imprisoned during the Ershad regime, during the so-called 1/11 period, and again under Sheikh Hasina’s government.

He further said Khaleda Zia was evicted from her residence associated with the memory of her late husband and sentenced to 17 years in prison on what he described as fabricated charges. Yet, he added, she never aligned herself with authoritarian politics, which made her a lasting symbol of resistance against fascism.

Referring to Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a mass uprising on August 5, 2024, and later took refuge in India, Nazrul said those who jailed Khaleda Zia and rendered her homeless ultimately failed to live in peace themselves.

Nazrul recalled that Khaleda Zia joined the BNP on January 3, 1982, to keep the morale of party leaders and activists strong after Ziaur Rahman’s assassination in 1981. Although she was the founder’s wife, he said, she rose through the party ranks constitutionally—starting as a general member, then vice-chairperson, acting chairperson, and finally elected chairperson through the party council.

Out of her 43 years in politics, Khaleda Zia led the BNP for 41 years, strengthening and organising the party, he said. Nazrul added that she led a sustained nine-year movement against Ershad’s military rule and restored democracy through a free, fair, and neutral election in 1991.

He noted that Khaleda Zia became the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world.

Khaleda Zia passed away early Tuesday morning at Evercare Hospital at the age of 79 after suffering from multiple serious health complications.