Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia was laid to rest with full state honours in Dhaka on Wednesday, with thousands of mourners and several foreign dignitaries attending the funeral. The 80-year-old leader was buried beside her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, the site of Bangladesh’s Parliament complex. Her death marks the end of an era in the country’s politics, where she remained a dominant figure for more than three decades.
India was represented at the ceremony by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who attended the funeral and met Khaleda Zia’s son and acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman. Jaishankar handed over a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahman and also met Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on the sidelines. Photographs of the meeting were shared by the office of Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, though neither Jaishankar nor Sadiq posted about it publicly.
Khaleda Zia passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, just days after her son returned to Bangladesh following 17 years in exile. Her death comes at a politically sensitive moment, ahead of national elections scheduled for February. Large crowds gathered in Dhaka despite cold weather, offering prayers and paying their respects as her flag-draped coffin was placed at Manik Mia Avenue before burial. The funeral was conducted with full state protocol, and public access was restricted during the final rites.
Several regional leaders attended the ceremony, including foreign ministers from Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as a senior minister from the Maldives. Jaishankar’s presence was particularly significant given the strained ties between India and Bangladesh following the removal of Sheikh Hasina last year and concerns raised by New Delhi over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.
Khaleda Zia served as prime minister three times between 1991 and 2006 and was often seen as a political counterweight to Sheikh Hasina. Her tenure was marked by a shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy, with stronger ties to China and a more distant relationship with India. Under her leadership, Beijing emerged as a key military and strategic partner for Dhaka, a development that caused unease in New Delhi.
Her passing comes at a time of political transition in Bangladesh, with the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in place since August 2024. As the country prepares for elections, Khaleda Zia’s legacy continues to shape its political landscape, even as regional dynamics and India-Bangladesh relations remain in a fragile phase.
