‘Battle of the Begums’: Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina's rivalry over the years

For decades, east pakistan’s political relation centered around 2 powerful women: Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female prime minister, and Sheikh Hasina, the nation’s longest-ruling prime minister and Zia's biggest rival. Although the two women joined hands in 1990 to topple military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad, their bitter rivalry over the years coined the term “Battle of the Begums” to describe their relationship.

On Tuesday (December 30, 2025), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia died at the age of 80 after suffering from a prolonged illness. Sheikh Hasina was among the leaders who mourned the death of her arch-rival, calling it a “profound loss” and praising her contributions to the country.

When the two women leaders of the biggest political parties in Bangladesh came together to topple military rule in 1990, the popular uprising was hailed as a win for democracy and raised hopes of a better future for the country. So how did Hasina and Zia move from building a democratic system together to facing off in what came to be called the “Battle of the Begums”?

The wife of military leader and former president Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia, joined hands with Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father and Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to lead the popular uprising for democracy that toppled military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1990.

However, their cooperation could not last long. The Hasina-Zia rivalry led to them being called “the battling Begums”, a term that uses an Urdu honorific for influential women.

While Zia was often seen as calm and traditional, yet quietly stylish and uncompromising who chose her words carefully, Hasina was viewed as more vocal and assertive. The sharp differences in their personalities fuelled a rivalry that shaped Bangladesh’s politics for decades.

The ‘Battle of the Begums’ began years after Bangladesh’s independence. In 1975, a brutal military coup led to the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s first president, and forced his daughter Sheikh Hasina into years of exile.

Khaleda Zia’s journey also saw a similar tragedy. Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, a military leader, went on to become president during the turmoil that followed Mujibur’s death. However, Ziaur Rahman was also assassinated in an attempted army coup in 1981, which pushed the then-housewife Khaleda Zia to enter politics and lead the BNP party that her husband had founded.

During the 1980s, the two powerful women leaders were ‘forced’ to work together to topple military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who seized power in 1982 in a military coup and ruled Bangladesh under martial law and tightly controlled elections.

Although the decade began with the Awami League and the BNP holding separate protests, the end of the 1980s saw Zia and Hasina protesting together to remove Ershad, who resigned on December 6, 1990.

The short-lived cooperation brought an end to military rule and paved the way for elections overseen by a neutral caretaker government. Khaleda Zia swept to power in the polls that followed.

Notably, Zia became not only Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister but also the second woman to head a democratic government in a largely Muslim country, after Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.

During the 1990s and 2000s, power shifted at the Centre between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina as both begums tried to undermine each other when in office.

Public spaces often became scenes of conflict as supporters from rival camps faced off during strikes, shutdowns and protest rallies.

Whenever either leader held power, state institutions were used to pressure the opponent. This included corruption cases and arrests.

Khaleda Zia’s second term as prime minister came to an abrupt end in 2006, after an army-backed interim administration seized power amid growing political unrest and violence.

The interim authorities arrested both Khaleda and Hasina on allegations of corruption and misuse of power. They remained in custody for about a year before being freed ahead of the 2008 general election.

The elections led to Sheikh Hasina’s victory. She swept to power in 2008 and held the top post consecutively until her ouster in 2024. She won elections in 2014, 2019 and 2024, while Zia dealt with health and legal issues.

Several countries, including the United States, expressed concern over the parliamentary polls due to “arrests of thousands of political opposition members and reports of irregularities on elections day”.

While Zia stayed away from the 2014 and 2024 elections, her bitter rivalry with Hasina continued to shape Bangladesh’s political landscape.

Tensions between the Awami League and the BNP often led to strikes, clashes and loss of life, slowing Bangladesh’s economic progress. The country, home to about 175 million people, is poverty-stricken and frequently hit by severe floods.

In 2018, Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and their aides were found guilty of misappropriating about $250,000 in foreign donations meant for an orphanage trust created during her last term as prime minister. Khaleda said the case was created to block her and her family out of politics.

She was sent to jail but later shifted to house arrest in March 2020 on humanitarian grounds as her health worsened.

Khaleda was released from house arrest in August 2024 following Hasina’s removal from power. Notably, Hasina was ousted after a student-led uprising last year threw her out of office.

In early 2025, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted Khaleda and Rahman in the corruption case that led to the 2018 prison terms.

In November this year, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina guilty of “crimes against humanity” over her crackdown on student protesters in Dhaka and sentenced her to death. Notably, Hasina had fled to India after her ouster and has since been staying at a secret safe house.

With inputs from agencies

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