Zia’s funeral draws dignitaries from South Asian nations

Dhaka, Dec 31 (PTI) High-level dignitaries from South Asian countries including ministers and parliamentary speakers converged in Dhaka on Wednesday to attend the funeral of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Zia, who dominated the country's politics for decades, died on Tuesday in Dhaka.

According to officials at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Nepalese Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma was among the first foreign dignitaries to reach the Bangladesh capital, landing last night.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived on Wednesday morning to “represent the government and people of India” at the rite, and shortly after his landing, Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq arrived.

Soon after his arrival, Jaishankar met Zia’s elder son and BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and conveyed India's deepest condolences.

Sadiq too met Rahman and expressed his sympathy for the bereaved family.

Bhutan sent its Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel to join the funeral, while Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath arrived to pay tribute to the late leader.

The Maldives is represented at the funeral by its Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed as a special envoy of the president of the island nation.

The ambassadors of foreign nations later reached Manik Mia Avenue to attend the funeral.

Three-time prime minister and chairperson of the BNP for a long time, Zia died after a prolonged illness. She was 80. PTI AR GRS GRS GRS