Khaleda Zia celebrates birthday

Staff Correspondent: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia celebrated her 70th birthday on August 15 amid widespread criticism from the Awami League leaders as the day coincides with National Mourning Day.  

 
Flocked by her party leaders and activists, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia cut a cake to celebrate her birthday on the first hour of August 15.

The leaders and activists greeted her presenting flowers.

The party is observing the day by cutting cakes across the country as well.

Khaleda Zia was born in a respective Muslim family of Feni  in 1945.

Khaleda’s father Iskandar Majumder, originally from Feni, was a resident of Dinajpur. Her mother was Tayeba Majumder.

Khaleda married Ziaur Rahman, then a captain of the Pakistani army, in August 1960. Zia fought as a sector commander in the 1971 Liberation War.

After the assassination of Zia, then the president, in May 1981, Khaleda, who was a housewife until then, stepped into politics.

She began as the party`s vice chairman and in 1984 became chairperson.

Khaleda played a strong role in the movement against military dictator Ershad.

The party won the 1991 elections and Khaleda became the first female prime minister of Bangladesh. In 2001, BNP-led four-party alliance won the election and she once again became the prime minister. In 2008 elections she became the opposition leader in Parliament.

risingbd/Aug 15, 2014/reza/mukul