Khaleda Zia: Slain leader's widow who went on to lead Bangladesh

The country's first female prime minister governed in periods of violent unrest and economic hardship.

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She was once described as a "shy housewife" to her husband Ziaur Rahman, a leading figure in the country's struggle for independence who became the president in 1977.

But following her husband's assassination in 1981, Zia rose to lead his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and served two terms as prime minister - first in the 1990s and then in the early 2000s.

Her tumultuous public life did not end after her premiership. She was later convicted for corruption and spent years in prison, but was acquitted after a 2024 uprising that saw her long-time rival, Sheikh Hasina, swept from power.

Begum Khaleda Zia was born in 1945 in Dinajpur, then part of British India.