Top leaders from neighbouring countries have begun arriving in Dhaka to pay their last respects to former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Wednesday.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shri Bala Nanda Sharma, Sri Lankan foreign minister Vijitha Herath, and Bhutan’s Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel have arrived in the capital on special flights to attend her funeral.
Vijitha Herath landed in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday afternoon to attend the funeral of the Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.
He was received by Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh and high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, S Jaishankar landed at Dhaka’s Bashar Air Base on a special flight of the Indian Air Force around 11:30am. He was received there by Foreign Ministry Secretary M Forhad Hossain.
On the other hand, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq arrived in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to attend Khaleda Zia’s funeral. He was received by Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh and high officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.
Lyonpo DN Dhungyel arrived in the morning to attend the state funeral of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister on behalf of his government. He was received by the Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.
Additionally, Shri Bala Nanda Sharma arrived on Tuesday night to attend Khaleda Zia’s namaz-e-janaza, scheduled to be held after Zuhr prayers around 2pm. He landed in Dhaka on a special flight late Tuesday. Nepal’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari and Foreign Secretary M Forhadul Islam received him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Khaleda Zia died around 6am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She was 80.
Doctors admitted her to the hospital on the night of 23 November after she developed breathing difficulties. She had long suffered from multiple health complications, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis and kidney problems.
Her condition deteriorated further in the early hours of 30 November, when doctors moved her to the Critical Care Unit.
