Eminent author and former member of parliament Professor Panna Kaiser breathed her last at the United Hospital in the capital on Friday morning. She was 73.

KM Shakhawat Moon, deputy press secretary to the Prime Minister, confirmed the news. President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed their condolences on her passing.

Panna Kaiser was the wife of martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser and the mother of popular television actress and producer Shomi Kaiser and banker Amitav Kaiser.

She became a member of parliament in women's reserved seats during 1996–2001. In 1973, Panna Kaiser became a presidium member of the country's largest children's organisation ‘Khelaghar’. She had been the chairperson of the presidium of the organisation since 1992.

She also received Bangla Academy Literary Award-2021 in the research on liberation war category.

Panna Kaiser was born on May 25, 1950 and her family name was Saifunnahar Chowdhury.  In 1969, she completed her post-graduation in Bengali literature from the University of Dhaka and embarked on a career in the teaching profession.

She married Shahidullah Kaiser on February 17, 1969.

Shahidullah Kaiser was picked up from his house by al-Badr forces on December 14, 1971 and never came back. She played a pivotal role in the trials of war criminals, contributing significantly to the pursuit of justice.