BSS, Dhaka

As Khaleda Zia embarked on her eternal journey amid an outpouring of public love, one cannot but reflect on the addresses that witnessed her life -- homes, hospitals, prison, and parliament. Each place stood witness to her transformation from an aristocratic young woman into one of Bangladesh’s most consequential political figures.

Her most cherished residence was the house on Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment, once the official home of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, during his tenure as chief of army staff. It was here that their sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko, grew up. After Ziaur Rahman’s assassination in 1981, the house was allocated to Khaleda in his honour, becoming her permanent home.

For the next three decades, the Cantonment house carried memories of Khaleda as a wife, mother, politician, and prime minister. On November 13, 2010, the Awami League government evicted her from there, forcing her to leave behind a lifetime of memories. By then, both her sons had to leave the country in 2008. Khaleda later moved to a residence in Gulshan called “Firoza”.

Firoza saw a different Khaleda -- frail, ill, During

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