Bangladesh mourns ex-PM Khaleda Zia with state funeral

Dhaka: Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader w...

Dhaka: Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader whose career defined the country's politics for decades.

Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80.

Flags were flown at half-mast and thousands of security officers lined roads as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka by a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.

A sea of mourners gathered outside parliament and packed streets leading to it, many waving national flags as well as those of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), before prayers were held over her coffin.

Mourners attend the funeral ceremony of Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia in Dhaka on December 31, 2025 a day after her death. Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP