Tens of Thousands Mourn Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at State Funeral
Tens of Thousands Gather in Dhaka to Bid Farewell to Khaleda Zia
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people from across the country converged in the capital city of Dhaka to pay their final respects to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Zia, the first woman to hold the office in Bangladesh, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80 due to a prolonged illness.
Grievers raised their hands in prayer and held flags bearing her images as a funeral procession, including a vehicle draped with the national flag, made its way through the streets near the parliament building. Flags flew at half-mast, and thousands of security officers were deployed to ensure order.
“I came all the way just to say goodbye. I know I will never see her face again, but at least I got to see [the vehicle] that carried her for the final ceremonies,” stated Setara Sultana, an activist from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), speaking to BBC.
Sharmina Siraj, a mother of two, described Zia as “an inspiration,” emphasizing that the scholarships introduced by the former leader to enhance girls’ education had a “tremendous impact” on her daughters. “It’s hard to imagine women in leadership positions soon,” she added.
Among those attending the funeral were Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, the Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Bhutan's Foreign Minister, Lyonpo DN Dhungyel.
Zia's lifeless body had earlier been brought to the home of her son, Tarique Rahman, who was seen reciting from the Quran beside his mother’s desk. Khaleda Zia will be buried alongside her husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 while serving as president—an incident that thrust Zia into the political spotlight. Following that, she led BNP in the first elections in the country after 20 years, earning the title “unwavering leader” after she refused to participate in a controversial election under the military rule of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in the 1980s.
Her career, marked by periods of imprisonment and house arrest, was defined by fierce rivalry with Sheikh Hasina. In the past 16 years, under Hasina’s Awami League government, Zia became the most prominent symbol of resistance against what many consider an increasingly autocratic regime. Despite her declining health, the BNP stated that Zia intended to run for parliament in February, when the country will vote for the first time following last year’s popular uprising that ousted Hasina. According to the party’s candidate list, Zia was set to contend in three constituencies.
The party hopes to regain power, and should that happen, Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, is expected to become the new leader of the country. Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh last week after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. “The country mourns the loss of a presence that shaped its democratic aspirations,” Rahman stated following his mother's death on Tuesday.
