Enormous crowds mourn Bangladesh’s first feminine PM at state funeral

[ad_1] Kelly Ng,

Shahnewaz Rocky, BBC Bangla, Dhaka and

Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC World Service World Reporter, London

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e680/live/fb4aa8a0-e633-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="AFP via Getty Images A large crowd gathers on the street to pay their respects to Khaleda Zia. One man holds up a flag featuring her face near the front of the crowd." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP by way of Getty Pictures Tons of of 1000's of individuals gathered as a motorcade carrying Khaleda Zia's physique drove via Dhaka

Tons of of 1000's of individuals travelled from throughout Bangladesh to the capital Dhaka on Wednesday to pay their remaining respects to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Zia, who was the nation's first feminine prime minister, died on Tuesday from a chronic sickness. She was 80.

The mourners held out their fingers in prayer and carried flags printed together with her images as a motorcade carrying Zia's physique - together with the hearse wrapped with the nationwide flag - drove on streets close to the parliament home.

Flags have been flown at half-mast and 1000's of safety officers have been deployed.

"I've come this far simply to say goodbye. I do know I will not be capable of see her face, however at the very least I may see the [vehicle] carrying her for the final rites," Setara Sultana, an activist from Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Celebration (BNP), instructed the BBC.

Sharmina Siraj, a mom of two, known as Zia "an inspiration", noting that stipends launched by the previous chief to enhance girls's schooling made a "enormous impression" on her daughters.

"It's tough to think about girls in management positions anytime quickly," she instructed AFP information company.

India's Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Speaker of Pakistan's Nationwide Meeting Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Bhutan's International Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel have been amongst those that attended the funeral.

Earlier within the day, Zia's physique was taken to the home of her son Tarique Rahman, who was seen reciting the Quran beside his mom's workplace.

The state funeral marks the tip of Zia's extraordinary journey, from a homemaker to the primary feminine prime minister of Bangladesh.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5ace/live/17bd7290-e627-11f0-8290-291e53bc4fb1.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="BBC Bangla Four men hold out their hands in prayer at Khaledia Zia's funeral" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> BBC Bangla Mourners have travelled from across the nation to attend Khaleda Zia's funeral

Zia can be buried subsequent to her husband Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 whereas serving as president - an incident that thrusted Zia into political limelight.

She went on to guide the BNP within the nation's first elections in 20 years. She was dubbed an "uncompromising chief" after refusing to take part in a controversial election underneath navy ruler Basic Hussain Muhammad Ershad within the Nineteen Eighties.

For a number of years, alongside together with her bitter political rival Sheikh Hasina, she fought for democracy and in opposition to navy dictatorship, enduring arrests.

There was speak amongst Bangladesh's rulers on the time to maintain the 2 "battling begums" - Zia and Hasina - out of politics in what was then often called the "minus two components".

However Zia ultimately grew to become prime minister, first in 1991 then once more in 2001.

Through the time of the military-backed caretaker authorities in 2007, she was saved underneath detention.

Within the final 16 years, underneath Hasnina's Awami League authorities, Zia emerged as probably the most outstanding image of resistance to Hasina's rule which many noticed as more and more autocratic.

Zia's resilience drew admiration from her supporters, who say that regardless of varied private and political setbacks, years in opposition and convictions underneath Hasina's authorities, Zia by no means gave up, refused to compromise on her ideas and stood her floor.

The truth that tons of of 1000's of individuals, together with those that did not vote for her celebration, turned up for the funeral can be seen as a mirrored image of her reputation among the many plenty.

Those that labored together with her recall a pacesetter who requested probing questions whereas making key choices. As economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya famous, she left a long-lasting impression as "a political chief who appreciated concepts and valued knowledgeable decision-making".

In her later years, she suffered from a number of well being issues. Regardless of this, the BNP stated she had supposed to run for parliament in February 2026, when the nation will vote for the primary time since a well-liked revolution final 12 months unseated Hasina.

Based on the celebration's candidate listing launched earlier this month, Zia was to contest in three constituencies.

The celebration is eyeing a return to energy, and if that occurs, her son is anticipated to turn out to be the nation's new chief. Rahman, 60, had solely returned to Bangladesh final week after 17 years in self-imposed exile in London.

"The nation mourns the lack of a guiding presence that formed its democratic aspirations," Rahman stated following his mom's passing on Tuesday.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b54a/live/69e5ef90-e634-11f0-a76c-07ff70ccfd82.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters Security forces escort a flag-draped vehicle carrying the body of Khaleda in a motorcade. " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Reuters [ad_2] Source link