As a young girl in Bangladesh, you could say I grew up parallel to the legendary rivalry between the country’s main political foes, Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia: two very powerful women with some serious political capital. Hasina is one of the only surviving members of her family, the majority of whom were brutally assassinated by army officials in the aftermath of Bangladesh’s bloody Independence. Khaleda Zia, on the other hand, is the widow of career military officer, Ziaur Rahman, founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that Khaleda Zia now heads. Bangladesh’s ”Battling Begums” are perhaps the most high-profile living examples of South Asia’s long historic love affair with political dynasties. We have the Bhuttos in Pakistan, the Gandhis in India and the recent emergence of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose father led Bangladesh’s neighbor Myanmar to independence. Both Khaleda and Hasina’s families are also the foundation of their respective political platforms.
We invite our users to read the complete article published 13 January 2013
As a young girl in Bangladesh, you could say I grew up parallel to the legendary rivalry between the country’s main political foes, Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia: two very powerful women with some serious political capital. Hasina is one of the only surviving members of her family, the majority of whom were brutally assassinated by army officials in the aftermath of Bangladesh’s bloody Independence. Khaleda Zia, on the other hand, is the widow of career military officer, Ziaur Rahman, founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that Khaleda Zia now heads. Bangladesh’s ”Battling Begums” are perhaps the most high-profile living examples of South Asia’s long historic love affair with political dynasties. We have the Bhuttos in Pakistan, the Gandhis in India and the recent emergence of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose father led Bangladesh’s neighbor Myanmar to independence. Both Khaleda and Hasina’s families are also the foundation of their respective political platforms.
We invite our users to read the complete article published 13 January 2013