Ayaz Sadiq visits residence of Khaleda Zia to condole ex-PM's death

National Assembly (NA) Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday visited the residence of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia in Dhaka.

He met with Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman and daughter to express deep sorrow and condolences on the passing of their mother.

Khaleda Zia’s son and daughter thanked Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for his condolences and for attending the funeral prayers.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also met with Bangladesh’s National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman and conveyed condolences on behalf of the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.

He also held a meeting with Bangladesh’s Law Adviser and discussed matters of mutual interests.

Khaleda Zia, who became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister in 1991 and went on to develop a bitter rivalry with Sheikh Hasina as they spent decades trading power, died on Tuesday after a long illness. She was 80.

Her opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said that she died after a prolonged illness. She had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest and heart problems, her doctors said.

She went to London for medical treatment in early 2025, staying for four months before returning home.

Though Khaleda had been out of power since 2006 and had spent several years in jail or under house arrest, she and her centre-right BNP continued to command much support.

The BNP is seen as the frontrunner to win the parliamentary election slated to take place in February. Her son and acting chairman of the party, Tarique Rahman, 60, returned to the country last week from nearly 17 years in self-exile and is widely seen as a strong candidate to become prime minister.