Khaleda Zia Death: Three-time Bangladesh Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, who passed away in Dhaka on December 26, 2025, had a love-hate relationship with India, a nation where she had her roots. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee meets Begum Khaleda Zia on the sidelines of a SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2002. The Farakka dam dispute that began in 1976, continued during Khaleda Zia’s tenure despite the signing of bilateral agreements in the meantime. Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao with Khaleda Zia at Rashtrapati Bhawan on her arrival in India in 1992 (Express Archive photo). Despite her tough stance against India, Khaleda Zia did engage with New Delhi at the highest level, stressing that outright hostility was never her official line.

Source: Indian Express December 30, 2025 14:06 UTC