Huge crowds participate in Khaleda Zia’s funeral

Yesterday, huge crowds flocked to the area surrounding the Bangladesh National Parliament building in the capital, Dhaka, to attend the funeral prayer for former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, who died the day before yesterday, at the age of 80, after a long struggle with illness.

Crowds of people from Dhaka and other places were flocking towards the place on Manek Mia Street, outside the Parliament building, since early morning.

Thousands of her supporters and people from different parts of the country participated in Khaleda Zia’s funeral.

Zia was buried in a garden outside the parliament building, next to the grave of her husband, former president, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in a military coup in 1981.

Khaleda Zia entered politics after her husband’s death, and emerged as an opposition leader during a nine-year movement against a former military dictator, who was overthrown in a popular uprising in 1990.

Zia assumed the position of Prime Minister for the first time in 1991, achieving a landslide victory in a democratic general election, with the country establishing parliamentary democracy, and she remained the leader of her Bangladesh National Party until her death.