DHAKA: Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday (Dec 31) to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades.
Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday, aged 80.
Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.
A sea of mourners gathered outside parliament and packed streets leading to it, many waving national flags as well as those of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), before prayers held over her coffin.
Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister.
“I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered,” he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade as her body passed by.
“Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration,” homemaker Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that “it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon”.
The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls’ education “had a huge impact on the lives of our girls. To me, this is her biggest contribution”.
“LEGACY LIVES ON”
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for Feb 12 – the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.
Zia’s BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned only last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
“She is no more, but her legacy lives on – and so does the BNP,” said Jenny Parvez, 37, who travelled for several hours with her family to watch the funeral cortege pass her on the street.
The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning, with an elaborate state funeral.
Yunus said Bangladesh had “lost a great guardian”.
Zia’s body will later be interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/bangladesh-mourns-ex-pm-khaleda-zia-state-funeral-national-party-elections-5770876
