Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will be laid to rest with full state honours on Wednesday. The longtime chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party died at the age of 80 on December 30 after battling a prolonged illness. Foreign dignitaries — including Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar — will attend the ceremony.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus also announced a three-day state mourning and a general holiday to mark the sombre occasion. He urged people to maintain discipline and order during the funeral prayers and the observance of mourning across the country. Bangladesh will fly the national flag at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, educational institutions and on all government and private buildings across the country, as well as at Bangladesh missions abroad during the mourning period.
Special prayers and supplications will be organised in mosques across the country on Wednesday for the eternal peace of Zia — with similar prayers to be held at places of worship of other faiths. Condolence books will be opened at the Bangladesh missions abroad.
Full state honours for Khaleda Zia
The three-time prime minister will later be laid to rest with full state honours beside the grave of her husband(former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman_ at Zia Udyan in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Bangladesh Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said her funeral will be held after Zohr prayers at Parliament’s South Plaza and the adjoining Manik Mia Avenue.
“At the death of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, I declare three days of state mourning and a one-day general holiday tomorrow on the day of her Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers). I know that all of you are deeply saddened at this time. I hope that you will show patience during this time of mourning and cooperate with all those concerned who are involved in observing the formalities, including her Namaz-e-Janaza,” Yunus added during a televised address to the nation.
Jaishankar to attend funeral
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the funeral of Khaleda Zia. An official statement confirmed his visit to Dhaka on Wednesday, but it was not immediately known whether he would hold a separate bilateral meeting with interim government chief Muhammad Yunus.
“Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. Our heartfelt condolences to her family and all the people of Bangladesh. May the Almighty grant her family the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier condoled via X.
He also hailed her “significant contributions to the development of Bangladesh” and the advancement of ties with India as the first female PM of the other country.
“I recall my friendly meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015. We hope that her thoughts and legacy will continue to guide our partnership in the future as well. I pray for the peace of her soul,” he added in Bengali.
Latest updates:
- Jaishankar conveys India’s condolences
- Huge crowds join funeral prayers
Huge crowds flocked to the area outside Bangladesh’s national parliament building in the capital Wednesday to attend the funeral prayers for former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Waves of people from Dhaka and elsewhere had been streaming in toward the venue on Manik Mia Avenue, outside the parliament building, since early morning.
- Jaishankar reaches Dhaka
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has arrived for the funeral of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. The state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha said a special flight carrying the Indian minister landed at Dhaka at 11:30 am. A spokesperson from the Indian mission in Dhaka told BSS that he was received at the airport by Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma.
- Khaleda Zia’s family pay their last respects ahead of Namaz-e-Janaza
The body of former Bangladesh prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia reached her Gulshan residence, Firoza, on Wednesday afternoon. Family members and close relatives have paid their last respects ahead of her Namaz-e-Janaza. BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was seen seated quietly with a prayer book in his hands, surrounded by family members, as he paid his final respects to his mother.
- Thousands arrive for funeral prayers in Dhaka
- Preparations underway for final rites
BNP leaders said the funeral prayer will be led by the khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, while BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan will conduct the proceedings.
- The BNP Standing Committee met at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Wednesday morning. The meeting was chaired by Tarique Rahman.
