Bangladesh mourns Khaleda Zia in state funeral as nation pays final tribute

DHAKA:Bangladesh bids farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing vast crowds, mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades.

Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80.

Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital, Dhaka, in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.

Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister. “I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered,” he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade as her body passed by.

“Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration,” mourner Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that “it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon”. The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls’ education “had a huge impact on the lives of our girls”.

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12 — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.

Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned only last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

“She is no more, but her legacy lives on — and so does the BNP,” said Jenny Parvez, 37, who travelled for several hours with her family to watch the funeral cortege pass her on the street.

The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.

Large crowds gathered outside parliament — many waving national or BNP flags — where her coffin is expected around 2 pm, and when prayers will begin.

Yunus said Bangladesh had “lost a great guardian”.

Zia’s body will be interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.

Tarique Rahman said in a statement that “the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations”. His mother, he added, “endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution”, but that “her resilience… was unbreakable.”

Suffering from a raft of health issues, Zia was rushed to the hospital in late November, where her condition had gradually deteriorated despite treatment.

Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for next year’s polls. Monitoring Desk