Khaleda Zia’s Funeral Prayer Concludes Amid Massive Crowds in the Capital
The funeral prayer (janaza) for former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been completed at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital.
National Mosque Baitul Mukarram Khatib Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek led the janaza. After the prayer ended shortly after 3:30 pm, she will be buried beside her husband Ziaur Rahman behind the National Parliament Building.
The janaza began at 3:02 pm on Wednesday on the road adjacent to the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building. The crowd of people attending the prayer spilled far beyond the parliament area, stretching several kilometres into the surrounding streets.
Traffic has been halted on roads including Agargaon, the road opposite the Passport Office, Bijoy Sarani, and in front of Farmgate. Roads such as Bijoy Sarani, the road in front of the Planning Commission, China Maitri Road, and the area in front of the Chief Adviser's office are now completely filled with people.
Earlier in the morning, Begum Zia’s body was brought to the Manik Mia Avenue area in a freezer van wrapped in the red-green national flag. The army formed a human chain to receive the body with full state honours.
The journey of the freezer van carrying Khaleda Zia’s body began at 11:05 am from her son Tarique Rahman’s residence at 196 Gulshan Avenue.
At 8:54 am, her body was taken out of Evercare Hospital in the capital and brought to Gulshan. Although it was initially planned to take her to her long-time residence ‘Firoza’, the vehicle was later directed to Tarique Rahman’s house at 196 Gulshan Avenue. After arrival there, relatives and BNP leaders and activists paid their last respects to Khaleda Zia until 11:05 am.
It is worth mentioning that after remaining under treatment for 38 consecutive days at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, doctors declared Begum Khaleda Zia dead at 6:00 am on Tuesday (Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’un). She was 80 years old at the time of her death.
