Khaleda Zia laid to rest as thousands of mourners bid emotional farewell to BNP leader

Dhaka: Hundreds of thousands of people on Wednesday bid an emotional farewell to former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who was laid to rest with state honour beside her husband Ziaur Rahman's grave near the parliament building amid tight security.

Zia, the three-time prime minister and a towering political figure, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, several senior leaders from Pakistan, Nepal and other neighbouring countries, diplomats and top political and military brass of Bangladesh attended Zia's funeral at Manik Mia Avenue of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament building).

Zia's coffin, draped in the national flag, was brought to the funeral site in a convoy from her residence. Thousands of mourners gathered outside the parliament complex to have a last glimpse of their beloved leader.

Many Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters were seen carrying flags featuring Zia's photographs.

Bangladesh's interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, and Zia's son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman were among those joining the funeral prayers.

"Please pray to Allah seeking her place in heaven," Zia’s elder son, Rahman, told the crowd ahead of the prayers.

Baitul Mokarram National Mosque's chief cleric Mohammad Abdul Kader led the funeral prayers (namaz-e-janaza). BNP's Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan read out a brief biography of Zia.

Mourners from all walks of life offered prayers seeking forgiveness for the departed soul, as they burst into tears, being emotional with the passing of their beloved leader.

After the funeral prayers, Zia was laid to rest beside her husband's grave with state honour. A smartly turned-out contingent drawn from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force presented a state salute with three gunshots in honour of Zia.

On behalf of the President and the Chief Adviser, floral wreaths were placed at Zia's grave. Later, Rahman and the chiefs of the three services placed wreaths at her grave.

The representatives from 33 countries, including ambassadors, high commissioners and heads of international organisations stationed in Dhaka also attended Zia's funeral prayers, local media reported.

Bhutan's Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel joined the funeral, while the Maldives was represented by its Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed.

In a televised address to the nation, Chief Adviser Yunus on Tuesday announced a three-day state mourning and a one-day general holiday.

Zia had been suffering from multiple complex and chronic health conditions, including liver and kidney complications, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and infection-related problems.

She last appeared in public on November 21 when she joined the Armed Forces Day reception at Dhaka Cantonment. Two days later, she was admitted to Evercare Hospital for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and decided to keep her under observation.

Her political journey, spanning over four decades, was one of tremendous highs and lows: from leading a major party and governing the country to being convicted on corruption charges and later receiving a presidential pardon.

Her appearance as a public figure in the political arena at the age of 35 was not a planned debut; rather, she was thrust into politics after the 1981 assassination of her husband, a military ruler turned politician who founded BNP in 1978.

In 1991, BNP won the elections, and Zia became the first woman prime minister in Bangladesh and second in the Muslim world after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto.