Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday joined the Namaz-e-Janaza of three-time former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at Manik Mia Avenue here on Wednesday afternoon.
A number of foreign dignitaries arrived in Dhaka to join the funeral of Begum Zia, who also joined the namaj-e-janaza.
Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, advisers of the interim government, senior civil and military officers, foreign diplomats, Khaleda Zia’s family members and relatives, as well as hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life including leaders of different political parties, participate in the janaza.
The Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban witnesses an unprecedented outpouring of grief today as millions of mourners from across Bangladesh converge on Manik Mia Avenue to pay their final tributes to Begum Zia.
From Tuesday night, all major roads leading to Manik Mia Avenue were crowded as people travelled from every nook and corner of the country by buses, trains, launches, metro, and other services. Scenes of deep sorrow were visible, with thousands of mourners seen weeping openly.
The influx of BNP leaders and supporters in the capital intensified following the spread of news of Begum Zia’s death.
Continuous streams of people arrived from different regions of the country. Authorities struggled to manage the massive crowd as the capital became the focal point of national mourning.
Despite severe cold, leaders, activists and ordinary citizens began gathering at Manik Mia Avenue and surrounding areas since late Tuesday night. By early Wednesday morning, the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex and nearby roads and pavements were filled to capacity. Many spent the night outdoors to secure a place near the funeral venue.
Earlier, the body of Khaleda Zia was brought to the premises of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka around 11:50 am for her namaj-e-janaza from her son Tarique Rahman’s Gulshan residence with state protocol amid foolproof security.
A motorcade carrying her body left her son Tarique Rahman’s Gulshan residence next to her own residence, Firoza, around 11:00 am.
Family members and relatives paid their last tributes to her at the residence. Tarique Rahman recited from the Holy Quran sitting beside the coffin containing the body of his mother.
The other family members also recited the Holy Quran and offered prayer for the eternal peace of the departed soul.
Earlier, her body was taken to the residence around 09:15 am from the Evercare Hospital.
Begum Zia will be laid to eternal rest beside her husband, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman’s grave, in the city with state honour, while the general public will not be allowed during the burial, as there will be an elaborate state funeral ceremony.
Begum Khaleda Zia, the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, breathed her last at 6am on Tuesday at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the city.
A three-day state mourning and one-day general holiday, as declared by the government, are being observed today across the country following the death of the former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
