Khaleda Zia laid to rest as Jaishankar holds meetings with Tarique Rahman, Pak Speaker

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was buried with state honours in Dhaka on Wednesday, attended by thousands of mourners and several foreign dignitaries, including India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The 80-year-old BNP leader, a three-time Prime Minister, was laid to rest beside her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, the seat of Bangladesh’s Parliament.

Before the funeral, Jaishankar met Khaleda Zia’s son and acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, widely seen as a future Prime Minister, and handed him a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also met Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on the sidelines. A photograph of the meeting was shared by Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, though neither Jaishankar nor Sadiq posted it on social media.

Khaleda Zia died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, just days after Tarique Rahman returned from a 17-year exile in London, ahead of Bangladesh’s general elections in February.

Braving the winter chill, mourners from all walks of life offered prayers and paid their final respects. Her national flag-draped coffin was placed at Manik Mia Avenue, and she was buried in a restricted ceremony as part of an elaborate state funeral.

High-level foreign dignitaries attending included Nepalese Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, and Maldivian Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed.

Jaishankar’s visit comes amid strained India–Bangladesh ties following the ouster of long-time India ally Sheikh Hasina, and rising concerns over attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus. Analysts see New Delhi’s outreach as a signal of engagement at a time when Dhaka’s relations with India have cooled.

During her terms from 1991–96, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001–06, Khaleda Zia often countered Awami League politics, strengthening ties with China and shaping Bangladesh’s foreign policy in ways that at times diverged from India’s strategic interests.