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State Funeral and Burial Held for Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia in Dhaka

The rites close national mourning, with attention turning to BNP leadership under her returning son Tarique Rahman ahead of elections.

Overview

  • Funeral prayers were held at the South Plaza of the national parliament before Khaleda Zia was buried with full state honors beside Ziaur Rahman at Zia Udyan.
  • The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus announced three days of national mourning and a one-day public holiday, with a large security deployment across Dhaka.
  • India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar attended the ceremony and delivered a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as other regional representatives paid respects.
  • The BNP said she died at 6:00 am on December 30 at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka after a prolonged illness, a death later confirmed by her personal physician.
  • Tarique Rahman, back in Bangladesh after 17 years in exile and serving as the BNP’s acting chair, is widely reported as the party’s leading figure ahead of the early-2026 vote.