Khaleda Zia

Khaleda Zia was elected Prime Minister after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the 1991 general election. She became the first woman to hold the office in Bangladesh, leading a coalition government and beginning a political rivalry with Sheikh Hasina.

Khaleda Zia's government signed a 30-year treaty with India to share the waters of the Ganges River. The agreement aimed to resolve a long-standing dispute over water allocation during the dry season, benefiting both countries' agriculture and livelihoods.

During the 2007-2008 caretaker government, Khaleda Zia was arrested on charges of corruption related to a charitable trust. She was detained for over a year, which her supporters claimed was politically motivated. The charges were later dropped after her party returned to power.

A Bangladeshi court sentenced Khaleda Zia to 17 years in prison for embezzling funds from a charitable trust. The verdict was widely seen as politically motivated by her supporters, while the government maintained it was a legal process. She was subsequently barred from contesting elections.