The End of a Political Chapter Marked by the Khaleda–Hasina Rivalry

Aminul Islam, a retired government official, never actively participated in politics. Yet he joined the funeral prayers of Khaleda Zia.

Amid the sea of people on Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka, the 68-year-old Islam said he had developed deep sympathy for the BNP chairperson and former prime minister because of her long imprisonment and prolonged illness toward the end of her life. That was why, he explained, he felt compelled to attend her janaza.

Political analysts believe that the massive, cross-party participation in Khaleda Zia’s funeral has made history in Bangladesh, BBC Bangla reported.

They note that Khaleda Zia entered politics unexpectedly following the death of her husband, BNP founder Ziaur Rahman. Over a colourful political career, she came to be known as an “uncompromising” leader and established herself as a dominant force.

For more than four decades of her political life, Khaleda Zia’s principal rival was Sheikh Hasina. For a long time, these two leaders were the most influential figures in Bangladeshi politics, around whom the entire political landscape revolved. They shaped—and controlled—the course of politics.

After years of illness, Khaleda Zia has now departed from the political stage. On the other hand, Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in a mass uprising about a year and a half ago and took refuge in India, where she remains.

With Khaleda Zia’s death, a chapter in Bangladesh’s political history has come to an end. The influential leader leaves behind the BNP, a party she led for 41 years.

Under Khaleda Zia’s leadership, the BNP’s rivalry with the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, gradually turned into outright hostility. Their face-to-face political confrontation continued for decades.

At various times, international media portrayed Bangladesh’s politics as a “battle of the two Begums.”

Both leaders fought struggles in the name of democracy and against authoritarianism. However, political analysts say that during the tenures of both leaders, there were varying degrees of allegations and criticism related to human rights and governance.

At the beginning of Khaleda Zia’s second full-term government in 2001, numerous allegations emerged regarding attacks on minorities in different parts of the country.

Within a year of that government, law and order deteriorated sharply. To control the situation, a military-led anti-crime drive known as “Operation Clean Heart” was launched in mid-October 2002.

During the 84-day operation, media reports said at least 40 people died after being detained. After the operation, an ordinance was issued granting indemnity, drawing strong criticism from human rights organizations over alleged abuses.

During the BNP-led four-party alliance government, the elite police unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was formed. RAB too faced allegations of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations.

In comparison, analysts say Sheikh Hasina’s last fifteen and a half years in power were marked by widespread repression of opposition parties and dissenting voices.

From top leadership to grassroots levels, leaders and activists of opposition parties, including the BNP, were overwhelmed by legal cases and lived under constant fear of arrest. Even carrying out political programs became a major challenge due to government restrictions.

Human rights activists say dissent was harshly suppressed during Awami League rule. Even individual criticism on social media often invited state action.

In attempting to build political resistance against repression, BNP leader Khaleda Zia herself became a target of the Awami League government’s wrath.

Analysts argue that under Sheikh Hasina’s prolonged rule, politics of vengeance reached an extreme level. At one stage, Khaleda Zia was imprisoned from February 2018 for two years.

In pursuit of continued power, three consecutive controversial elections were held, effectively dismantling the electoral system, analysts say. As a result, the Awami League government became increasingly detached from the public, fueling anger that ultimately led to Sheikh Hasina’s fall in a mass uprising.

Analysts also note that Khaleda Zia’s reserved manner and tolerant behavior helped shape a distinct personal image in politics and among the public. This allowed her to carve out a “separate” political position. Notably, she never lost a personal election.

Following the political changes triggered by the July 2024 uprising, discussions emerged about moving beyond two-party politics and the possible rise of new political forces. However, analysts believe those discussions have now stalled, and the traditional two-party framework continues.

The change, they say, is that in the absence of the ousted Awami League, BNP’s main rival has become its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami. Ahead of the February 12 election, other parties are divided into two camps over seat-sharing arrangements involving BNP and Jamaat.

The fall of the Awami League introduced a new political reality. Amid this, Khaleda Zia’s death is seen as the end of an era. Yet analysts remain skeptical about whether Bangladesh can truly move beyond its long-standing two-party political pattern.

Khaleda–Hasina: From Rivalry to Hostility

Khaleda Zia established her political standing through the movement against military ruler General Ershad, during which she earned her reputation as an “uncompromising” leader.

Later, however, she faced criticism for the BNP’s alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and accommodations with religion-based political parties.

Following the assassination of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia took charge of a shattered party at the age of 36, embarking on a 44-year political journey.

After assuming leadership of the BNP in 1982, she led the party into the anti-Ershad movement, forming the seven-party alliance and positioning herself at the forefront.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina returned from exile in 1981—six years after the assassination of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—to take charge of the Awami League. Under her leadership, the Awami League formed an eight-party alliance and joined the anti-Ershad movement. A separate five-party leftist alliance was also active at the time.

Though the three alliances coordinated programs separately, their combined movements led to the mass uprising that toppled Ershad’s regime.

Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina emerged as the principal driving forces of that movement, becoming known as the “two leaders.” While their parties maintained competitive relations, there was a degree of tolerance during that period.

Writer and analyst Mohiuddin Ahmad told BBC Bangla that although rivalry existed during the anti-Ershad movement, relations had not yet turned hostile. Hostility intensified later, centered on the struggle for power.

Analysts believe that the first two governments under the two leaders also operated in relatively tolerant environments.

After Ershad’s fall, the BNP formed the government following the February 27, 1991 election under Khaleda Zia’s leadership. Toward the end of that government, the Awami League led a movement demanding a caretaker government, culminating in the controversial February 15, 1996 election boycotted by major opposition parties.

That BNP government lasted only about two months. Under pressure, the 13th constitutional amendment was passed to introduce a caretaker government system, leading to fresh elections. Under that system, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, came to power in 1996—its first government in 21 years.

Although tensions rose over the caretaker government movement, analysts say relations did not yet reach extreme bitterness.

Political polarization deepened in the late 1990s, however, and hostility intensified after the BNP-led four-party alliance won the 2001 election. The August 21, 2004 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina’s rally, which killed at least 24 people, marked a turning point, pushing relations into deep enmity.

Subsequent events—such as Khaleda Zia’s eviction from her cantonment residence in 2010 and the imprisonment of both leaders during the military-backed caretaker government of 2007–08—further entrenched a politics of vengeance.

During that caretaker period, efforts to sideline both leaders—the so-called “minus two” formula—ultimately failed. The BNP, however, suffered greater repression, with Khaleda Zia and her sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman arrested.

Tarique Rahman later went into exile in London and returned to Bangladesh on December 25, ending 17 years abroad—just days before Khaleda Zia’s death.

Despite repeated attempts to split the BNP, Khaleda Zia managed to keep the party united and influential. She led the country for ten years as prime minister and twice served as leader of the opposition, though she spent the last two decades largely outside power.

From February 2018, she remained imprisoned for two years, followed by years of illness and political inactivity.

BNP has long blamed the Awami League government for Khaleda Zia’s deteriorating health and eventual death, citing her imprisonment and denial of proper care. The Awami League, meanwhile, has accused BNP of responsibility for the August 21 grenade attack aimed at Sheikh Hasina.

Analyst Professor Mahbub Ullah says that even amid hostility and revenge-driven politics, Khaleda Zia maintained a tolerant demeanor, earning her a guardian-like stature among other parties.

Another analyst, Mohiuddin Ahmad, believes her death marks the end of a political chapter. Mahbub Ullah, however, argues that the BNP she left behind has become even more important, ensuring her continued relevance in politics.

Whether Bangladesh will move beyond two-party politics, analysts conclude, will depend on the upcoming election and the political developments that follow.