Thousands of people mourn Bangladesh’s first female prime minister at state funeral

Hundreds of thousands of people from across Bangladesh traveled to the capital Dhaka on Wednesday to pay their last respects to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Zia was the country’s first female prime minister; died on tuesday From a long-term illness. She is 80 years old.

Mourners stretched out their hands in prayer and held flags bearing Zia’s photo, as a motorcade carrying Zia’s body – including a hearse wrapped in the national flag – moved through the streets near the parliament building.

Flags were flown at half-mast across the country and thousands of security personnel were deployed.

Setara Sultana, an activist with Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told the BBC: “I came this far just to say goodbye. I knew I couldn’t see her face, but at least I could see (the vehicle) that was carrying her for the final rites.”

Sharmina Siraj, a mother of two, called Zia “an inspiration” and noted that stipends provided by former leaders to improve women’s education had a “huge impact” on her daughters.

“It’s hard to imagine that women will be in leadership positions anytime soon,” she told AFP.

The funeral was attended by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Bhutanese Foreign Minister Leonpo D.N. Dunyel.

Earlier in the day, Zia’s body was brought to the home of her son Tariq Rahman, who was seen reciting the Quran next to his mother’s office.

The state funeral marked the end of Zia’s remarkable journey from housewife to Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.

Zia will be buried next to her husband Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 while he was president, an incident that thrust Zia into the political spotlight.

She went on to lead the BNP in the country’s first elections in 20 years. She was known as an “uncompromising leader” after she refused to participate in a disputed election in the 1980s under military ruler General Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

For years, she fought for democracy and against the military dictatorship alongside her political rival Sheikh Hasina, and suffered arrests.

At the time, Bangladesh’s rulers discussed keeping the two “fighting dames” Zia and Hasina away from politics, which was known at the time as the “minus two formula.”

But Zia eventually became prime minister in 1991 and again in 2001.

She was detained during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007.

Over the past 16 years, under Hasina’s Awami League government, Zia became the most prominent symbol of resistance to Hasina’s rule. increasingly authoritarian.

Zia’s resilience has won the admiration of supporters, who say that despite various personal and political setbacks, years of opposition and conviction under Hasina’s government, Zia never gave up, refusing to compromise on principles and standing her ground.

The fact that hundreds of thousands of people, including those who did not vote for her party, attended the funeral will be seen as a reflection of her popularity among the masses.

Those who worked with her remember a leader who asked probing questions when making key decisions. As economist Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya noted, she left a lasting impression: “a political leader who appreciated ideas and valued sound decision-making.”

In her later years, she suffered from multiple health problems. Nonetheless, the BNP said she intends to run for parliament in February 2026, when the country goes to the polls for the first time since the general election. a popular revolution last year Hasina was ousted.

Zia will contest in three constituencies, according to the party’s candidate list released earlier this month.

The party is considering returning to power, and if that happens, her son is expected to become the country’s new leader. Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh only last week after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London.

“The country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations,” Rahman said after his mother’s death on Tuesday.