Sawt Falasteen - Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 80

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026 -- the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.

The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia's son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

In late November Zia was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition deteriorated from a raft of health issues.

Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for the polls.

"The BNP Chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am (0000 GMT), just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer," the party said in a statement.

"We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul," it added.

- 'Uncompromising leadership' -

Braving cold rain, mourners gathered on Tuesday morning outside the hospital in Dhaka where Zia's body rests.

"This is an irreparable loss for the nation," senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters, his voice choking with emotion.

"She chose prison over luxury and spent years behind bars," said Golam Kibria, 29, a BNP loyalist who said he was tortured under Hasina's government, calling Zia an "unmatched leader who can never be replaced".

During her final days, interim leader Muhammad Yunus called for the nation to pray for Zia, calling her a "source of utmost inspiration".

"The nation has lost a great guardian," Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said in a statement.

"Her uncompromising leadership repeatedly freed the nation from undemocratic conditions and inspired people to strive for freedom."

Three-time prime minister Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina's government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

She was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.

There had been plans earlier this month to fly her on a special air ambulance to London, but her condition was not stable enough.

Her son Rahman will lead the party through the February 12 general election, and is expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.

Bangladesh's Prothom Alo newspaper, which said Zia had "earned the epithet of the 'uncompromising leader'", reported that Rahman and other family members were by her side at the time of her death.

"The lives of politicians are marked by rises and falls," the newspaper wrote on Tuesday.

"Lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution, and attacks by adversaries are far from uncommon. Khaleda Zia endured such ordeals at their most extreme."

H.Nasr--SF-PST