Khaleda Zia’s last farewell: Crowd gathered in Dhaka, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar handed over PM Modi’s condolence message to Tariq Rehman

Dhaka. Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will be laid to rest today with full state honors beside her husband and former President Ziaur Rahman. Many big leaders and representatives from all over the world have reached Dhaka to attend his funeral.

Main points of the news-
India’s condolences: India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar reached Dhaka especially on this sad occasion. He met Tariq Rehman, acting president of BNP and son of Khaleda Zia, and handed over a personal condolence message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India recalled Khaleda Zia’s contribution to democracy and expressed hope for stronger ties with Bangladesh after the elections to be held in February 2026.

International presence: Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nand Sharma have also reached Dhaka to attend the state funeral.

Namaz-e-Janaza: Khaleda Zia’s mortal remains wrapped in the national flag were taken to Manik Miyan Avenue. His Namaz-e-Janaza was held at 2:00 pm, in which a huge crowd of lakhs of supporters gathered.

Crowd: The streets of Dhaka are filled with people who have come to bid farewell to ‘Madam’. Since morning, the crowd of people had started moving towards Manik Miyan Avenue.

Keeping an eye on political future-
The presence of neighboring countries, including India, shows how important the process of democratic transition is in Bangladesh in view of the upcoming elections in February 2026.