External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the funeral of Khaleda Zia, the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia, who served as Prime Minister three times, passed away at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.
Jaishankar is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Wednesday to pay his respects at the funeral of the late leader. Zia breathed her last at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been receiving treatment for over a month, as confirmed by a statement from her party.
Reports indicate that Zia, who had been battling serious health issues related to her heart and lungs, was also fighting pneumonia during her final days. Her deteriorating health condition had been closely monitored by medical experts for 36 days before her passing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences over Zia’s demise, highlighting her significant role as the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh and her contributions to strengthening relations between India and Bangladesh. Modi recalled his meeting with Zia in 2015 and praised her vision and legacy, hoping that it would continue to guide the partnership between the two countries.
Khaleda Zia had been grappling with various chronic illnesses, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, arthritis, and complications affecting her kidneys, lungs, heart, and eyesight. Despite efforts to arrange advanced medical care abroad, her fragile state prevented her from traveling internationally for treatment, as advised by her medical team.
