Bangladesh mourns former PM Khaleda Zia with a state funeral, as her party eyes upcoming elections and her son returns from exile.
DHAKA: Bangladesh bids farewell to former prime minister Khaleda Zia with a state funeral on Wednesday.
Zia, the first woman to lead the South Asian nation, died on Tuesday at the age of 80.
Her career defined the country’s politics for decades, drawing vast crowds of mourners.
“Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration,” homemaker Sharmina Siraj told AFP.
She added that stipends introduced by Zia to support girls’ education had a huge impact.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12.
Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party is widely seen as a frontrunner in the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her rival Sheikh Hasina last year.
Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if the party wins.
The interim government declared three days of national mourning, with prayers outside parliament.
Flags will be flown at half-mast with a large security deployment expected across the capital.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Bangladesh had “lost a great guardian”.
He stated that through her leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions.
Zia’s body will be interred alongside her late husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981.
Her son said the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations.
He added that his mother endured repeated arrests and persecution but never stopped sheltering her family.
Suffering from health issues, Zia was rushed to hospital in late November where her condition gradually deteriorated.
Hours before her death, party workers submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies.
Zia was an uncompromising leader for all the people, said activist ABM Abdul Fattah outside the Dhaka hospital.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia’s vision and legacy would continue to guide the partnership.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due to attend the funeral, New Delhi said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will also attend, Islamabad’s High Commission confirmed.
Hasina, sentenced to death in absentia in November, remains in hiding in India.
Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina’s government, which blocked her from travelling for medical treatment.
She was released last year shortly after Hasina was forced from power.
“I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul,” Hasina said in a statement.
