BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia ‍and UN Secretary General António Guterres. Photo collage : BSSDHAKA, Jan 7, 2026 (BSS) – UN Secretary General António Guterres has expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of three-time former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. “I was saddened to learn of the passing of Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh,” the UN Secretary General wrote to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in a message dated on January 2. Begum Khaleda Zia, widely regarded as an uncompromising leader for democracy in Bangladesh, breathed her last on December 30 last year at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the city. She was laid to eternal rest with full state honour beside her husband Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman's grave at Zia Udyan in the capital on December 31.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 07, 2026 09:58 UTC