PM Modi mourns Khaleda Zia’s passing; Bangladesh declares 3-day mourning
Zia's funeral will be held on Wednesday & she will be buried beside her husband, late president Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh's interim govt said
Khaleda Zia waves to supporters after her arrest, in Dhaka on Sept. 3, 2007. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi/Dhaka, Dec 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Bangladesh prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, saying her contributions to Bangladesh’s development and to India-Bangladesh relations would be long remembered.
“Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. Our sincerest condolences to her family and all the people of Bangladesh,” Modi wrote on social media.
Recalling his meeting with her during a visit to Dhaka in 2015, the Prime Minister said he hoped her vision and legacy would continue to guide bilateral ties. “May her soul rest in peace,” he added.
Condolences also poured in from across Bangladesh’s political spectrum. Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina described Zia as a significant figure in the country’s political history.
In a message posted on the Awami League’s official account in a micro-blogging website, Hasina highlighted Zia’s role as Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and her contribution to the struggle to establish democracy, calling her death “a profound loss for Bangladesh’s political life” and for the leadership of the BNP.
Zia and Hasina dominated Bangladeshi politics for more than three decades, alternately leading the country and shaping a sharply polarised political landscape marked by intense rivalry between their parties.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced a three-day state mourning and a one-day general holiday following Zia’s death.
In a televised address to the nation, Yunus said the general holiday would be observed on the day of her Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers), scheduled for Wednesday, and urged citizens to maintain discipline and order during the mourning period.
Begum Zia, a three-time prime minister and the first woman to hold the office in Bangladesh, passed away early Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. She was 80.
A central figure in the country’s modern political history, Zia played a key role in restoring democracy after years of military rule and went on to remain a dominant force in national politics for decades.
PTI