Hundreds of thousands join state funeral for ex-Bangladeshi PM Zia

Hundreds of thousands of people joined the funeral prayers on Wednesday for Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, as a three-day period of national mourning began following her death.

Zia, who was the chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the nation's first female prime minister, died on Tuesday at a Dhaka hospital at the age of 80.

An interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus announced the three days of mourning and declared Wednesday a national holiday to facilitate a state funeral.

The national flag was flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous establishments as a mark of respect. The BNP, as part of its seven-day mourning period, hoisted black flags alongside the national flag.

Mourners began gathering in the morning at the South Plaza of the national parliament building on Manik Mia Avenue.

By noon, aerial television footage showed that most of the open green spaces, lawns and gardens across the entire 87-hectare parliament complex, as well as key points along the nearly 2-kilometre stretch of the avenue and adjacent areas, were packed.

Amid tight security, mourners walked through the avenues to join the funeral prayers. Many were dressed in black, wore black badges and carried black flags.

Zia's son Tarique Rahman, acting BNP chairman, in brief remarks at the funeral prayers called upon everyone to pray for his mother's departed soul.

Earlier, Zia's flag-draped coffin was transported to the funeral venue in a motorcade from the hospital via her residence in Gulshan.

Attendees, estimated by the party to number in the hundreds of thousands, included Zia's supporters, BNP activists, leaders from other political parties, the head of government, Cabinet members, representatives of professional bodies, foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka and citizens.

Many had travelled from outside the capital.

After the funeral prayers, Zia is scheduled to be laid to rest beside her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, in a park on the northern side of the parliament building. Zia had led the BNP since Rahman's assassination in 1981. Rahman, an army chief who became president, founded the party in 1978.

Foreign dignitaries arrived to pay their respects. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Dhaka from New Delhi on a special Indian Air Force flight. Pakistani Parliamentary Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was also in attendance.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma arrived on Tuesday night, and officials from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan arrived as well.

Zia served as the country's first female prime minister from 1991 to 1996. She also served as prime minister in 1996 for a brief period and yet another term from 2001 to 2006.

Last month, the BNP said that Zia intended to contest the national election scheduled for February 12, 2026.

The 80-year-old leader, who had battled multiple health issues, had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to her ailments and two corruption convictions.

She was imprisoned for over two years after being convicted in two graft cases in 2018, with a combined sentence of 17 years.

She was released in 2020 on health grounds with conditions barring her from travelling abroad or engaging in politics. Her party maintained the charges were politically motivated.

She was cleared of the convictions after the interim administration was installed in August 2024 following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the face of a violent uprising.