Dhaka, March 7 (IANS) Bangladesh's Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has decided to confer the "Best Indomitable Woman in Advancing Democracy" award posthumously on former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, local media reported on Saturday.
The recognition will be presented under the Indomitable Women Award program to mark International Women's Day 2026 on Sunday at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Khaleda Zia is being honoured for her resolute leadership in the struggle to restore democracy in Bangladesh and for her exceptional contributions to safeguarding the democratic process, Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune, reported.
Additionally, five other women, including Nurun Nahar Akter, Bobita Khatun, Nurbanu Kabir, Shamla Begum, and Afroza Yasmin, will also be honoured as "Best Indomitable Women" in five different categories this year.
These awards come at a time when critics raised concerns over the low representation of women candidates in the February 12 parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and the broader exclusion of women from the decision-making process.
Earlier in January, Bangladesh's Election Commission revealed figures highlighting the glaring disparity -- despite women comprising half the population, they remain vastly underrepresented among candidates.
Among the 2,568 aspirants for the February 12 polls, only 109 -- 4.24 per cent -- are women, with 72 nominated by political parties, while the rest are independents, Bangladeshi leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.
Reports suggest that the exclusion was stark among the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which fielded 276 candidates without a single woman, followed by Islami Andolan Bangladesh with 268.
The BNP, which was led by a woman for more than four decades, allocated tickets to only 10 women out of 328 aspirants for the 300 seats.
Several parties, including Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis with 94 candidates, Khilafat Majlis with 68, and the Bangladesh Islami Front (BIF) with 27, have entirely shut out women, fielding only male candidates.
With the lowest level of women's participation in Bangladesh's 13th parliamentary elections, seven female candidates emerged victorious out of the 300 seats.
Bangladesh further witnessed escalating violence against women and children during the eighteen-month tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
--IANS
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