Three Days of State Mourning Declared in Bangladesh, Wednesday a Public Holiday

*Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to Be Laid to Rest with Full State Honours

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The government of Bangladesh has declared a three-day period of state mourning from Wednesday to Friday following the passing of former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia. On this occasion, Wednesday (December 31) has been declared a public holiday across the country, according to the Cabinet Division.

The decision was announced by Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid while speaking to journalists after an emergency meeting of the Advisory Council at the Secretariat on Tuesday (December 30). He said that, as a mark of respect on behalf of the state to this leader who made significant contributions to the nation, the national flag will be flown at half-mast during the mourning period and appropriate observances will be held in all government programmes.

The Cabinet Secretary further stated that Begum Khaleda Zia will be buried with full state honours. According to him, she will be laid to rest at Zia Udyan, located beside the National Parliament complex, next to the grave of her husband and late President of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman.

Prior to the burial, her funeral prayers (janaza) will be held after the Zuhr prayer on Wednesday (December 31) at the National Parliament Plaza. Before that, her body will remain at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday and will be taken to the Parliament complex on Wednesday morning.

After a long illness, Begum Khaleda Zia breathed her last at 6:00 am on Tuesday at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. She was 80 years old at the time of her death. Her passing has cast a pall of grief over the country’s political arena, with condolence messages pouring in from home and abroad.

Begum Khaleda Zia’s departure is being regarded as the end of an important chapter in Bangladesh’s political history, as she played a dominant and influential role in the nation’s politics for a long time.