Crowds flock to Dhaka\u2019s streets to mourn the loss of the former prime minister, who led Bangladesh thrice
\n DHAKA
\nBangladesh bade farewell to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering political figure whose leadership shaped the nation for decades.
\nZia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80. Flags flew at half-mast across the country on Wednesday as thousands of security personnel lined Dhaka\u2019s streets while her flag-draped coffin travelled through the capital.
\nMassive crowds gathered outside Bangladesh\u2019s parliament building for the funeral prayers. People from Dhaka and beyond streamed towards Manik Mia Avenue, where the parliament building is located, since early morning to pay their last respects.
\nRetired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, came despite never having voted for her. \u201cI came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered,\u201d he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade.
\nZia entered politics following her husband\u2019s death and rose to prominence opposing a military ruler who was ultimately ousted in a 1990 mass uprising. She first became prime minister in 1991 after a landslide victory when parliamentary democracy was introduced, and remained leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party until her death.
\nKnown for her calm demeanour, Zia maintained a strong political rivalry with her archrival Sheikh Hasina, who led the Bangladesh Awami League party and ruled for 15 years before being ousted in a 2024 mass uprising.
\nSecurity was extensive, with authorities deploying approximately 10,000 personnel, including soldiers, to maintain order. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus\u2019s interim government announced three days of mourning and declared Wednesday a public holiday to honour the three-time prime minister\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Crowds flock to Dhaka\u2019s streets to mourn the loss of the former prime minister, who led Bangladesh thrice DHAKA Bangladesh bade farewell to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering political figure whose leadership shaped the nation for decades. Zia, the first woman to serve as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":523116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-523096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n