Wed Dec 31 12:25:35 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article based on the provided text:

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Laid to Rest in Dhaka

DHAKA, Bangladesh – December 31, 2025 – Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Dhaka today to pay their final respects to former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, who was laid to rest with state honors near the parliament building. Zia, a three-time Prime Minister and a dominant figure in Bangladeshi politics, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.

The funeral procession drew dignitaries from across the region, including India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, as well as senior leaders from Pakistan, Nepal, and other neighboring countries. Diplomats and high-ranking members of the Bangladeshi military and political establishment were also in attendance.

Mourners, many waving Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) flags emblazoned with Zia’s image, lined the streets as the coffin, draped in the national flag, was transported from her residence. Funeral prayers were led by Mohammad Abdul Kader, chief cleric of the Baitul Mokarram National Mosque. Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, urged the crowd to pray for his mother’s eternal peace.

Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Muhammad Yunus, Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, and Zia’s son and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman were among those joining the funeral prayers.

Following the prayers, Zia was buried next to her husband’s grave at approximately 4:30 pm local time.

Representatives from Bhutan and the Maldives, along with ambassadors and heads of international organizations stationed in Dhaka, also attended the funeral.

In a televised address, Chief Adviser Yunus declared a three-day state mourning period and a one-day general holiday to honor the former Prime Minister.

Zia’s political career, spanning over four decades, saw her rise to become Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister in 1991, and the second in the Muslim world after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, after the 1981 assassination of her husband, a military ruler turned politician who founded BNP in 1978. In recent years, she battled a series of complex health issues.

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