India, Dec. 30 -- Bangladesh's first woman prime minister, Khaleda Zia, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 just after her morning prayers, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a statement. The BNP stalwart and arch-rival of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest and heart problems.

The 80-year-old became her nation's first female prime minister in 1991 by leading the BNP to victory in the first free election in more than a decade. However, very few people know about her connection to India.

The Bangladeshi leader was born in Bengal's Jalpaiguri, which was then part of the undivided Dinajpur district in British India, on August 15, 1945.

After the Partit...