Bangladesh bid farewell to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as thousands gather for her state funeral to honour one of the country's most influential political leaders.
Hundreds of thousands of people travelled from across the Bangladesh to the capital, Dhaka on Wednesday, December 31 to pay their final respects.
Zia who made history as Bangladesh's first woman to become prime minister passed away on Tuesday, December 30 after prolonged illness.
Following her death, Bangladesh announced three days of official mourning.
People gathered to pray and hold flags with Zia's photos as vehicle carrying her body, wrapped in the national flag, passed by the Parliament area.
Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who recently returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in self-imposed exile in the UK, said in a statement that the country was mourning “the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations."
In her later years, Zia faced multiple health problems but despite this, her party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said she had planned to run in the February 2026 parliamentary elections.
Rahman, who is the acting chairman of Zia’s BNP, could become the next prime minister if his party wins the upcoming elections in February.
Zia will be buried next to her husband Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 while serving as president.
