Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia restored democracy but later banned Taslima Nasreen’s books, crushed dissent and allied with Jamaat-e-Islami. Khaleda Zia, a complacent housewife, joined politics after her husband and the then President Zia-ur-Rahman was killed in a coup-de-tat in 1981. Khaleda Zia joins Bangladesh politicsHowever, her detractors allege, Khaleda Zia soon changed her course, stifled freedom of speech, and crushed dissent. After a gap of a decade in 2001, Khaleda Zia continued her alliance with the Islamic outfit. It joined the Khaleda Zia government once again.

Source: dna December 31, 2025 09:08 UTC