"Whole nation remembers her with respect": Senior Expert on Khaleda Zia's death

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 30 (ANI): Shafqat Munir, Senior Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, said that Bangladesh's first woman Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, was known for her steely, unwavering resolve and not bowing in the face of pressure.
Following Zia's death, Munir said the entire nation is in profound grief.
"This is indeed a very sad day for Bangladesh. The whole nation is united in profound grief and sorrow. As you mentioned, she was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh. She was prime minister a total of three times. And for people of my generation, we grew up seeing her as the prime minister. But beyond being the prime minister, she was known as an uncompromising, unwavering leader who never budged under any pressure and remain unwavering and uncompromising till the last day," he told ANI.
"She sacrificed a lot for the country, for Bangladesh's democracy. And today the whole nation remembers her with respect and with a profound sense of sorrow," he added.
He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on the death of Zia are very touching, as she had played a pivotal role in furthering the relations between the nations.
"Indeed, Prime Minister Modi's remarks are very touching. He has remembered the contribution of Begum Khaleda Zia not only in terms of her role as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, but in also the role she played in furthering and enhancing the bilateral ties between our two countries," he said.
"Prime Minister Modi and Begum Zia had met in 2015 when Prime Minister Modi's first visit to Bangladesh. And throughout all her tenures, Begum Khalid Zia played a very significant role in enhancing Bangladesh's international profile whether it was in terms of bolstering regional cooperation through SAARC or building ties with other countries, building ties with the Southeast Asian region, for instance, with a Look East policy. She was a leader who believed that Bangladesh must get her rightful place in the international system. We must remember that, in her first tenure in 1991, she became Prime Minister after a prolonged period of military rule, when democracy returned to the country. She took major steps in enhancing bilateral ties with India, particularly in the realm of trade and commerce. The enhancement of the bilateral trade, which has now grown to significant proportions, the original efforts or steps was taken by her," he added.
Zia had close relations with subsequent Prime Ministers of India, Munir told ANI, but she always placed Bangladesh's interests first.
"She had close personal relations with successive prime ministers and other political personages in India. But she was always clear about one thing: Bangladesh will maintain relationships with the entire international community, but Bangladesh's national interest must always come first. Any leader would hope for his or her country," he said.
Munir commended the fact that in 1993, Zia was among the first world leaders to highlight food security as an important issue. She also worked towards women's empowerment.
"And she was always very keen that Bangladesh must get its rightful place in the international system, whether by contributing to international peacekeeping, by articulating or taking a strong voice on issues such as women rights. May I please point out one issue that in 1993, during the SAARC summit, Begum Khaleda Zia had said that all our efforts must be grounded on the fact that our people are able to get bhat and dal (rice and dal). And I'm sure you will agree with me that this was at a time when the concept of food security was very nascent in the world. And no international leader had talked about food security or the people's ability to access food as the fulcrum of any policy. And she did that," he said.
"She was a great champion of women's rights. If you look at her first tenure in government, the policies she had taken for ensuring women's education and so on were really path-breaking. So today on the very sad day of her passing away, when we remember her, we remember her for several things, but chiefly we remember her for her uncompromising, unwavering resolve and never bowing in the face of tyranny," he added.
Munir added that Zia had a steely resolve that if she dies, she will die in Bangladesh and was unfazed even when she was under the threat of possible arrest.
"In 2017, she had gone to London for medical treatment and people had warned her that when she comes back, there is a possibility she might be arrested. And she said, I will go back and I don't mind if I'm arrested. If I die, I will die in Bangladesh. So this steely resolve that Begum Zia has demonstrated throughout her 43-year-old political career is something we really respect and admire," he said.
Munir added that her legacy would continue to guide Bangladesh.
"Let's also remember that she was widowed at the age of 36. She was very young when she was widowed with two sons who were still in their teens. And for the rest of her life, she dedicated herself to the service of this country. So on this day, we respectfully, sorrowfully remember her and her legacy is what is going to guide Bangladesh," he said.
Munir said that today, Zia is seen as a national leader. Politicians across party lines are paying their respects to her.
"And what is most important that today she is no longer seen as a former prime minister or BNP leader alone. She is regarded as a national leader, as the government has termed her one. There will be a state funeral for her. And across party lines, across all divides, people of Bangladesh are mourning her," he told ANI.
Begum Khaleda Zia died in the early morning today at the age of 80, while she was undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
According to a BNP statement on Facebook, Zia died at around 6 am (local time), shortly after the Fajr prayer.
"Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, just after Fajr prayer," the BNP statement read.
"We pray for the eternal peace of her soul and ask everyone to pray for her departed soul," it added.
Zia was admitted to the capital Dhaka's Evercare Hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. The former Prime Minister has been suffering from various physical ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications, for a long time, and earlier this month, she was sent to London for advanced medical treatment for her ailments. (ANI)