Khaleda Zia Funeral highlights: S Jaishankar meets Pak National Assembly Speaker during Khaleda Zia's funeral

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A man who had come to attend the funeral prayers of former prime minister Khaleda Zia fell ill and died at Dhaka's Manik Mia Avenue, reported Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo. According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the man has been identified as Md Nirob Hossain (56), based on an identity card found on him.

Lakhs of people had gathered in central Dhaka to attend the funeral prayer.

Addressing the ongoing atrocities against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that no crisis can touch the Hindu community if they are unified and remain strong and stable.

A large pool of crowd is entering the Zia maidan to see the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, for the last time.

Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar exchanged greetings with Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq during Khaleda Zia's funeral in Bangladesh.

Following India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Bangladesh, Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, wrote on X that India and Bangladesh would work together and write a new chapter in the coming time. 

He further emphasised the importance of the discussion held by Tarique Rahman and S Jaishankar.

The former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was laid to rest beside her husband Ziaur Rahman's grave. 

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar is present at the funeral and he handed over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's condolence letter to Zia's son Tarique Rahman.

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, was laid to rest on Wednesday after funeral prayers in Dhaka. She was buried at Chandrima Uddan next to her husband, the late President Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda Zia passed away after a prolonged illness, marking the end of an era in Bangladesh’s political history.

Television visuals showed BNP Acting Chairman and eldest son Tarique Rahman standing with party leaders and family members as funeral rites progressed, with thousands of mourners gathering to pay their final respects in Dhaka.

The coffin of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now being taken to Chandrima Uddan in Dhaka, where her husband and former President Ziaur Rahman is buried. The final journey marks the concluding phase of the funeral rites as mourners line the route to pay their last respects.

The funeral procession of BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia ends at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka. Large crowds gathered along the avenue to attended the procession and paid their final respects as the solemn ceremony moved forward under tight security arrangements.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman briefly addressed the gathering on Wednesday as funeral proceedings for former prime minister Khaleda Zia continued at the Parliament complex area in Dhaka. Television visuals showed a silent crowd listening attentively as he spoke about his mother moments before the namaz-e-janaza began.

Mufti Abdul Malek appeared visibly emotional while addressing the gathering at Khaleda Zia’s funeral, pausing several times as he spoke about the former prime minister’s life and legacy. Television visuals from Bangladeshi news outlets indicated that the namaz-e-janaza was expected to begin shortly as his address came to an end.

Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to express his condolences. The meeting was announced in a post on BNP's verified Facebook page at around 1.50 pm on Wednesday.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, a leader of the Nawaz Sharif–led PML-N, had claimed in 2020 that Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, following India's Balakot airstrikes in 2019, was "trembling with fear" and had insisted on releasing Indian Air Force officer Abhinandan Varthaman to avert an Indian invasion. The statement sparked a row, drawing sharp criticism from the ISPR and the Pakistani government, according to a Dawn report.

Chief of Bangladesh's interim administration Muhammad Yunus, army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with several other advisors of the regime have assembled outside the Bangladeshi Parliament for farewell prayer of former PM Khaleda Zia.

The funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia is set to begin shortly in Dhaka. A massive crowd has assembled along Manik Mia Avenue, where citizens, party workers and leaders are gathering to pay their last respects amid heightened security arrangements.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Wednesday afternoon and handed over India’s condolence message following Khaleda Zia’s death. According to a post on BNP’s verified Facebook page around 1:30 pm, the message expressed India’s deep respect for the late former prime minister and was conveyed at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Bhola Mandal, a person from the neighbourhood in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri, where Khaleda Zia's lived in before the Partition, told news agency ANI, "She was born here and studied here. After that, when the house was exiled as Khaleda Zia's family went to Bangladesh, another person from Bangladesh came here and bought this house... Many people from Bangladesh come here and visit their native home..."

Thousands of people flock to attend the funeral prayer of former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia. A sea of mourners fill Dhaka's Manik Mia Avenue near the Parliament, reported Dhaka-based daily Prothom Alo. The motorcade carrying Zia's mortal remains departed from Tarique Rahman's residence at Gulshan Avenue at 11.04 am. The convoy, which also includes a red-and-green BNP bus, is carrying Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, daughter Zaima Rahman, Arafat Rahman's wife, and other family members to the funeral venue.

Following the funeral prayers at the National Parliament, Khaleda Zia will be laid to rest beside her husband, late President Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The former prime minister passed away at Evercare Hospital around 6 am on Tuesday after undergoing medical treatment for over a month.

Several relatives were seen reciting from the Holy Quran and offering prayers for Khaleda Zia at the Gulshan residence. While some family members prayed silently, others broke down in tears, expressing their grief over the former prime minister’s death. Senior BNP leaders also arrived to offer condolences ahead of the funeral procession.
 

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday morning to pay his last respects to former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. He landed at around 11.30 am on a special Indian Air Force flight and was received at the Bangladesh Air Force Base in Bashar by Foreign Ministry Secretary M Farhad Hossain.

Khaleda Zia’s funeral is taking place against a tense national backdrop. Bangladesh has been witnessing unrest since the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi earlier this month. His death sparked violent protests across several parts of the country, adding a layer of political and security sensitivity to the funeral proceedings.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday that former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s body arrived at her Gulshan residence, Firoza, where family members and close relatives paid their final respects. The house witnessed an emotional gathering as leaders and kin offered prayers ahead of the body being taken to Manik Mia Avenue for the funeral.
 

With Khaleda Zia’s death, attention has turned to BNP’s next chapter under acting chairperson Tarique Rahman. Having overseen the party for years, his recent return ahead of his mother’s passing signals continuity rather than contest. Party leaders see no internal succession battle, with Tarique firmly positioned as the party’s central figure.
 

Khaleda Zia became BNP chief in 1984, vowing to fulfil her late husband Ziaur Rahman’s vision for Bangladesh. In the late 1980s, she joined hands with Sheikh Hasina to topple military ruler H M Ershad. The alliance soon collapsed, giving way to decades of rivalry that defined Bangladesh’s politics under the “battling Begums”.
 

Khaleda Zia’s body was moved from Evercare Hospital to Gulshan in a vehicle draped with the Bangladesh flag. Originally planned for her long-time residence ‘Firoza’, the vehicle was taken to Tarique Rahman’s house at 196 Gulshan Avenue, where leaders, activists, and relatives are paying their last respects.
 

Security has been heavily strengthened around Evercare Hospital. Members of the Special Security Force (ASF), President Guard Regiment (PGR), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), RAB, and police are deployed. Barbed wire barricades have been set up at the main gate, and entry is restricted to patients and verified relatives only. Vehicle movements are closely controlled near the entrance.
 

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir visited Evercare Hospital this morning. Four advisors to the interim government, Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul, National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman, Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar, and Cultural Advisor Mustafa Sarwar Farooqui, signed the condolence book at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, expressing grief over her passing.
 

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma arrived in Dhaka shortly before midnight on Tuesday to pay respects. Pakistan’s Parliament Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Bhutanese Foreign Minister DN Dhungyel, Maldives President’s Special Envoy Ali Haider Ahmed, and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath are scheduled to arrive later today.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has issued road closure notices to ensure smooth conduct of Khaleda Zia’s funeral. Some roads will be fully closed while others will have limited traffic. Residents are advised to avoid main avenues around Manik Mia Avenue, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, and surrounding areas. Vehicles from outside Dhaka can park at designated locations in Motijheel, Shahbagh, and Uttara.

Nepal's Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma has arrived in Dhaka to pay his last respects to former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Former Indian diplomats described Khaleda Zia’s leadership as pivotal yet challenging for bilateral relations. While credited with strengthening the BNP and restoring democratic politics, her tenures were often marked by strained ties with India over security concerns, including alleged shelter to insurgent groups in India’s Northeast.

Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will attend Khaleda Zia’s funeral, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed. The announcement underscores the regional attention surrounding her death, as foreign dignitaries prepare to pay respects to the former Bangladeshi prime minister in Dhaka.

Several major roads in Dhaka will remain closed or see limited traffic from 7 am on Wednesday. Police advised avoiding Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue and Manik Mia Avenue. Designated alternative routes and parking zones have been announced to ensure smooth funeral proceedings and manage the expected large turnout.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police said Khaleda Zia’s body will be transported from Evercare Hospital through key city routes to her Gulshan-2 residence, ‘Firoza’, before being taken to the South Plaza of the National Parliament for the funeral. Security and traffic arrangements have been tightened along the procession route.

The funeral of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will be held at 2 pm on Wednesday at the South Plaza of the National Parliament. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed that she will be laid to rest beside her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, at the designated burial site.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at Khaleda Zia’s funeral. The Ministry of External Affairs said he will visit Dhaka on December 31 to convey condolences on behalf of the Indian government and people, underlining the significance of the moment despite historically complex India-Bangladesh ties during Zia’s tenures.

Leaders across the region have expressed grief over Khaleda Zia’s death. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said she played a significant role in shaping Bangladesh’s political journey. Condolences have also poured in from political leaders, diplomats and supporters, reflecting her decades-long dominance and enduring influence in Bangladeshi politics.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia passed away on Tuesday after prolonged illness, her son Tarique Rahman announced. Calling her the “Mother of Democracy” and “Mother of Bangladesh”, he said she devoted her life to resisting autocracy and safeguarding democratic aspirations, even as she endured imprisonment, denial of medical care and personal loss.

Residents of Jalpaiguri recall close ties between Khaleda Zia’s family and local households, including that of Fazlar Rahman and Bhola Mondal. Frequent visits, shared meals and childhood bonds marked her early years. Even decades later, relatives from Bangladesh occasionally visited the ancestral house, now owned by the Chakraborty family.

Born on August 15, 1945, in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, Khaleda Zia was originally named Khaleda Khanam. Known fondly as “Putul” for her striking beauty, she spent her early childhood in Nayabasti before her family migrated to East Pakistan after Partition in 1947, selling their ancestral property in India.