Chief adviser joins namaz-e-janaza of Khaleda Zia
Chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus today, Wednesday joined the Namaz-e-Janaza of three-time former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at Manik Mia Avenue here this afternoon.
A number of foreign dignitaries arrived in Dhaka to join the funeral of Begum Zia 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 converged 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 traveled from every hook and corner of the country by buses, trains, launches, and 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, 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 on the premises of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban here around 11.50am 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 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 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 honor 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.