Khaleda Zia’s Final Journey Draws Huge Crowds: Will BNP Turn Grief Into Election Momentum?

Bangladesh bids farewell to former PM Khaleda Zia with a massive state funeral in Dhaka. As crowds mourn the trailblazing leader, attention shifts to BNP’s future and Tarique Rahman ahead of the 2026 elections.

Bangladesh bids farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing vast crowds, mourning a towering leader whose career defined 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 the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.

Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister.

"I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered," he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade as her body passed by.

"Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration," mourner Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that "it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon".

The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls' education "had a huge impact on the lives of our girls".

‘Legacy lives on’

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12 -- the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.

Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned only last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

"She is no more, but her legacy lives on -- and so does the BNP," said Jenny Parvez, 37, who travelled for several hours with her family to watch the funeral cortege pass her on the street.

The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.

Large crowds gathered outside parliament -- many waving national or BNP flags -- where her coffin is expected around 2:00 pm (0800 GMT), and when prayers will begin.

Yunus said Bangladesh had "lost a great guardian".

Zia's body will be interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.

‘Unbreakable’

Tarique Rahman said in a statement that "the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations".

His mother, he added, "endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution", but that "her resilience... was unbreakable."

Suffering from a raft of health issues, Zia was rushed to hospital in late November, where her condition had gradually deteriorated despite treatment.

Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for next year's polls.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia's "vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership", a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina's fall.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due to attend the funeral, New Delhi said, the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina.

Senior officials from Pakistan are also expected to attend.

Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.

Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina's government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

Zia was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.

"I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia's soul," Hasina said, in a statement shared on social media by her now-banned Awami League party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)