Battle of Begums: The Infamous Zia-Hasina Rivalry Comes to an End
Few rivalries in world history have shaped a nation as profoundly as this one
Khaleda Zia, the Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister who passed away on Tuesday and Sheikh Hasina, the deposed Prime Minister, were the two most dominant figures in Bangladeshi politics. For more than three decades, they alternately led the country, a time period marked by fierce rivalry between their parties.
In what is dubbed the "battle of begums", the two of them combined have served as prime minister for more than 30 years of Bangladesh's 54-year history, a rare phenomenon even in global politics.
Zia won her first term in 1991, and her opponent in that election and several since has been Hasina. However, the Hasina–Zia rivalry did not begin as an ideological contest.
In the 1980s, the two of them had joined hands and led protests against the dictatorship of General Ershad. But when Hasina’s entire family, including her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, was massacred by army officers in 1975, she firmly believed that Khaleda Zia’s husband, Ziaur Rahman, had given silent approval for it. Khalida Zia’s birthday celebrations every year on August 15th, known as National Mourning Day in Bangladesh, were always a controversial matter.
For the last three decades, Bangladesh witnessed a peculiar political pattern owing to this rivalry. When Zia came to power, Hasina and her supporters were jailed. When Hasina came to power, Zia and her children were hunted through courts and prisons. With each change of government, opposition leaders were branded corrupt and punished.
The two also had very opposing ideas of how Bangladesh should ally with its neighbours. While Sheikh Hasina was known as pro-India and maintained friendly relations with India, Khaleda Zia gave importance to Islamic nationalism and closer ties with China.
During the last 15 years of Hasina’s rule before she had to flee to India, Zia was completely weakened. With the death of one begum and another in exile, the battle of the begums comes to an end.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year following a massive protest that toppled her Awami League government. She was earlier declared a fugitive by a court. “A profound loss for Bangladesh's political life,” is how Hasina expressed condolences over Zia’s death on Tuesday.
“As the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh, and for her role in the struggle to establish democracy, her contributions to the nation were significant and will be remembered,” she said.
Few rivalries in world history have shaped a nation as profoundly as this one. Two women, rising from the tragedies of their families, many times called “iron ladies” by critics and admirers alike, held an entire country under the shadow of their personal vendetta stemming from bloodstained history, family rivalry, and ideological differences.
