Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Dhaka on Wednesday to bid farewell to former Bangladesh prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia, who was laid to rest with state honours near the parliament building amid strict security arrangements.
Zia, a three-time prime minister and one of the most influential figures in Bangladesh’s political history, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 following a prolonged illness, PTI reported.
According to PTI, the funeral prayers were held at Manik Mia Avenue, adjacent to the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, and were attended by political leaders, diplomats, and senior military officials from Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, along with senior leaders from Pakistan, Nepal and other regional nations, was present at the ceremony.
Zia’s coffin, draped in the national flag, was brought to the venue in a convoy from her residence. Thousands of supporters assembled outside the parliament complex to catch a final glimpse of the BNP leader, with many carrying party flags bearing her photographs, PTI reported.
The funeral prayers were attended by interim government Chief Muhammad Yunus, Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, and Zia’s son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Ahead of the prayers, Zia’s elder son addressed the gathering, saying, “Please pray to Allah seeking her place in heaven.”
The namaz-e-janaza was led by Baitul Mokarram National Mosque’s chief cleric Mohammad Abdul Kader. BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan read out a brief biography of Zia during the proceedings. Mourners from across sections of society offered prayers for her forgiveness, many breaking down as the prayers concluded.
After the funeral rites, Zia was buried beside her husband’s grave with state honour at around 4.30 pm local time, according to PTI.
Among foreign dignitaries, Bhutan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Lyonpo DN Dhungyel attended the funeral, while the Maldives was represented by Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed. Ambassadors, high commissioners and heads of international organisations stationed in Dhaka were also present.
In a televised address on Tuesday, Chief Adviser Yunus announced three days of state mourning and declared a one-day general holiday following Zia’s death.
Zia had been battling multiple chronic health conditions, including liver and kidney complications, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and infection-related ailments. Her last public appearance was on November 21 at the Armed Forces Day reception held at Dhaka Cantonment. Two days later, she was admitted to Evercare Hospital for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and kept her under observation.
Her political career spanned more than four decades and included periods in power as well as legal and political setbacks. Zia rose to national prominence after the assassination of her husband in 1981. He was a former military ruler who founded the BNP in 1978. She entered politics at the age of 35, a move that was not planned but shaped by the sudden turn of events.
In 1991, BNP won the general elections, making Zia Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and the second woman to hold the post in the Muslim world after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto.
(With inputs from PTI)
