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 Khaleda Zia: the 80-year-old former prime minister and head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), passed away early on Tuesday morning after a protracted illness, according to her party.

Khaleda Zia, who had been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka for over a month, died at approximately six in the morning, according to a statement released by the BNP.

“National leader Begum Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister and chairperson of the BNP, passed away today at 6:00 am, shortly after the Fajr (dawn) prayer,” the statement said.

In remembrance of her as a towering political personality who had a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s contemporary political history, party officials and supporters expressed their profound sorrow over her passing. The BNP went on to say, “We pray for her soul’s forgiveness and ask everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul.”

On November 23, Khaleda Zia was hospitalized to the private hospital due to severe cardiac and lung issues. According to media sources from Bangladesh, she also had pneumonia in the last few weeks of her life. After 36 days of being closely monitored by doctors, her health was deemed delicate.

The former prime minister fought a number of chronic illnesses throughout the years, including as diabetes, liver cirrhosis, arthritis, and long-term issues with her kidneys, lungs, heart, and vision. A multidisciplinary medical team of physicians from the United States, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom, together with experts from Bangladesh, was supervising her care.

There were talks earlier this month about sending her overseas for cutting-edge medical treatment. But in the end, those preparations were abandoned when medical professionals concluded that her physical state was too fragile to withstand trip abroad.

Former President Ziaur Rahman’s widow, Khaleda Zia, became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and held the position for two terms. She continued to be a major player in national politics despite years of legal and health issues, and many of her admirers thought she might have been crucial in next elections.

Tarique Rahman, the BNP’s interim chairman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, and their daughter Zaima Rahman are her surviving children. After living in exile for 17 years, Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25. Arafat Rahman Koko, her youngest son, passed away in Malaysia a number of years ago.

As party officials, sympathizers, and political allies continued to offer their condolences, a chapter in Bangladesh’s volatile political history came to a close.