Khaleda Zia Laid to Rest, Jaishankar Attends Funeral in Dhaka
EAM meets Tarique Rahman amid strained India–Bangladesh ties
- Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia buried with full state honours
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attends funeral in Dhaka
- PM Modi’s condolence letter handed to Tarique Rahman
- Event seen as diplomatic outreach amid tense bilateral ties
GG News Bureau
Dhaka, 31st Dec: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was on Wednesday laid to rest with full state honours in Dhaka, as thousands of mourners and several high-ranking foreign dignitaries gathered to bid farewell to the three-time prime minister.
The 80-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) stalwart was buried beside her husband and former President Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, home to the country’s parliament. The national flag-draped coffin was placed at the west end of Manik Mia Avenue, where funeral prayers were offered before her burial in a solemn state ceremony.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who attended the funeral, met Khaleda Zia’s son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and handed over a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar also met Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Several South Asian dignitaries, including Nepalese Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo D N Dhungyel, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Maldivian Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed, were present.
Khaleda Zia passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, days after Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh from London following a 17-year exile, and ahead of general elections scheduled in February.
Braving the winter chill, mourners from across Dhaka gathered in large numbers, many in tears, to offer prayers for the departed leader.
Jaishankar’s visit is being viewed as a diplomatic outreach by New Delhi at a time when India–Bangladesh ties have remained strained following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and growing concerns over attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, in the country.
Khaleda Zia served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. Her tenure was often marked by Dhaka’s closer ties with Beijing, which contrasted with the Awami League’s traditionally warm relations with New Delhi.
