Bangladesh 'mourns' after millions bid farewell to ex-leader Khaleda Zia

A huge crowd gathered for Khaleda's funeral as Bangladesh bids farewell to ex-Prime Minister, the late Khaleda Zia.

As reported by Al Jazeera, mourners surround Bangladesh’s parliament in Dhaka to pay their respects to the country’s first female prime minister on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

Millions of supporters, along with dignitaries from India and Pakistan, gathered to attend Bangladesh ex-leader’s funeral, with mourners travelling from across the country to bid farewell.

Footage showed huge crowds streaming in towards the national parliament building on Manik Mia Avenue, where her coffin, draped in the national flag, was taken in a convoy on Wednesday.

The mourners held out their hands in prayer and carried flags printed with her photographs as a motorcade carrying Zia's body wrapped in the national flag-drove on streets near the parliament house.

According to officials, around 10,000 security personnel were lined in the streets to maintain order.

Moreover, the Bangladeshi government has also announced Tuesday, December 30, 2025, as a three-day state mourning, while tributes flowed from world leaders as mourners bid farewell to the democratic politician.

One of the mourners, Sharmina Siraj, told the AFP news agency at the funeral that Zia was “an inspiration,” saying it was “difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon.”

Khaleda Zia’s son pays tribute:

Zia’s 17-year-old son, Tarique Rahman, said in a statement at the funeral,"the country was mourning the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations."

The 79-year-old Bangladeshi politician Khaleda Zia, who died after a prolonged illness on Wednesday, was the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation when she became premier in 1991.

As reported, Khaleda’s body will be interred in a park outside the parliament building alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.