Huge crowds mourn at state funeral for Bangladesh’s first female prime minister

Hundreds of thousands of people traveled to the capital Dhaka from across Bangladesh on Wednesday to pay their last respects to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Zia, the country’s first female prime minister, died Tuesday after a long illness. She was 80 years old.

Mourners held out their hands, prayed and carried banners printed with her photo as the motorcade carrying Zia’s body, including a hearse wrapped in flags, rolled through the streets near the Capitol.

Flags were flown at half-mast and thousands of security guards were deployed.

Setara Sultana, an activist with Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told the BBC: “I just came here to say goodbye. I know I couldn’t see her face, but at least I could see the (vehicle) that took her for the last rites.”

Sharmina Siraj, a mother of two, called Zia an “inspiration”, noting that the stipend she introduced to improve women’s education had a “huge impact” on her daughters.

“It’s hard to imagine women taking up leadership positions anytime soon,” she told AFP.

The funeral was attended by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel.

This morning, Zia’s body was taken to the home of her son Tariq Rahman, who was seen reciting the Quran next to his mother’s office.

The post marks the end of Zia’s extraordinary journey from a housewife to becoming the first female prime minister of Bangladesh.

Zia will be buried next to her husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated while serving as president in 1981. This incident brought Zia into the political limelight.

She led the BNP in the country’s first election in 20 years. She was nicknamed the ‘Uncompromising Leader’ after refusing to participate in controversial elections under the military rule of General Hussein Muhammad Ershad in the 1980s.

She endured arrests for years, fighting alongside her bitter political rival, Sheikh Hasina, for democracy and against military dictatorship.

There was talk among Bangladeshi rulers at the time to exclude Zia and Hasina, the two “fighting begums”, from politics in what was then known as the “minus two formula”.

However, Zia eventually became prime minister for the first time in 1991 and again in 2001.

She was detained in 2007 during the military-backed government.

Under Hasnina’s Awami League government over the past 16 years, Zia has emerged as the most prominent symbol of resistance to Hasina’s rule, which many see as increasingly autocratic.

Zia’s resilience has earned her respect from her supporters, who say that despite various personal and political setbacks and years of opposition and conviction under Hasina’s government, Zia never gave up, refused to compromise on her principles and stood her ground.

The fact that hundreds of thousands of people attended her funeral, including those who did not vote for her political party, can be seen as a reflection of her popularity among the public.

Those who worked with her remember a leader who asked incisive questions when making key decisions. Economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said she left a lasting impression as “a political leader who values ​​ideas and values ​​informed decision-making.”

In her later years, she suffered from several health problems. Nonetheless, the BNP said it planned to run for National Assembly in February 2026. This year will be the first vote since the popular revolution that ousted Hasina last year.

According to the party’s candidate list released earlier this month, Zia was scheduled to run in three constituencies.

The party is seeking a return to power, and when that happens, her son is expected to become the country’s new leader. Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh only last week after living in self-imposed exile in London for 17 years.

After his mother’s death, President Rahman said, “The nation mourns the loss of a leader who shaped democratic aspirations.”