Khaleda Zia laid to rest as thousands of mourners bid emotional farewell to BNP leader
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Dhaka (PTI): Hundreds of thousands of people on Wednesday bid an emotional farewell to former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who was laid to rest with state honour beside her husband Ziaur Rahman's grave near the parliament building amid tight security.
Zia, the three-time prime minister and a towering political figure, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, several senior leaders from Pakistan, Nepal and other neighbouring countries, diplomats and top political and military brass of Bangladesh attended Zia's funeral at Manik Mia Avenue of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament building).
Zia's coffin, draped in the national flag, was brought to the funeral site in a convoy from her residence. Thousands of mourners gathered outside the parliament complex to have a last glimpse of their beloved leader.
Many Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters were seen carrying flags featuring Zia's photographs.
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.
"Please pray to Allah seeking her place in heaven," Zia’s elder son, Rahman, told the crowd ahead of the prayers.
Baitul Mokarram National Mosque's chief cleric Mohammad Abdul Kader led the funeral prayers (namaz-e-janaza). BNP's Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan read out a brief biography of Zia.
Mourners from all walks of life offered prayers seeking forgiveness for the departed soul, as they burst into tears, being emotional with the passing of their beloved leader.
After the funeral prayers, Zia was laid to rest beside her husband's grave with state honour. A smartly turned-out contingent drawn from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force presented a state salute with three gunshots in honour of Zia.
On behalf of the President and the Chief Adviser, floral wreaths were placed at Zia's grave. Later, Rahman and the chiefs of the three services placed wreaths at her grave.
The representatives from 33 countries, including ambassadors, high commissioners and heads of international organisations stationed in Dhaka also attended Zia's funeral prayers, local media reported.
Bhutan's Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel joined the funeral, while the Maldives was represented by its Higher Education and Labour Minister Ali Haidar Ahmed.
In a televised address to the nation, Chief Adviser Yunus on Tuesday announced a three-day state mourning and a one-day general holiday.
Zia had been suffering from multiple complex and chronic health conditions, including liver and kidney complications, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and infection-related problems.
She last appeared in public on November 21 when she joined the Armed Forces Day reception at Dhaka Cantonment. Two days later, she was admitted to Evercare Hospital for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and decided to keep her under observation.
Her political journey, spanning over four decades, was one of tremendous highs and lows: from leading a major party and governing the country to being convicted on corruption charges and later receiving a presidential pardon.
Her appearance as a public figure in the political arena at the age of 35 was not a planned debut; rather, she was thrust into politics after the 1981 assassination of her husband, a military ruler turned politician who founded BNP in 1978.
In 1991, BNP won the elections, and Zia became the first woman prime minister in Bangladesh and second in the Muslim world after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto.
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791 drone intrusions along IB reported in 2025: Defence Ministry
New Delhi (PTI): A total of 791 drone intrusions -- nine incidents along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir and 782 along IB in Punjab and Rajasthan -- were reported during 2025, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
"Effective employment of own spoofers and jammers along the western front significantly countered the drone threat," it said.
During this period, 237 drones were brought down by the Indian forces along IB sector -- "five drones with war-like stores, 72 drones with narcotics and 161 drones without any payload", the ministry said in a year-end review statement.
"A total of 791 drone intrusions (nine incidents along IB in J&K and 782 along IB in Punjab/Rajasthan) were reported during this year," it said.
The ministry said the security situation in J&K remains "firmly under control" due to the relentless efforts of the Indian Army.
People have chosen to follow the path of development and has been actively participating in large numbers in all government and Army-run initiatives, it said.
The 'whole-of-nation' approach has resulted in "reduction in violence levels, scaled down protests and zero incidents of stone pelting".
The statement also underlined Operation Sindoor carried out on May 7 eliminating at least 100 terrorists in response to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent civilians.
Indian armed forces had launched a series of precision missile strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir under this military action, which resulted in a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan.
The hostilities ended with an understanding on halting the military actions on May 10 following talks over the hotline between army officials of the two sides.
"After the DGMO talks on May 10 and May 12, the situation remains stable though unpredictable. However, there has been an increase in Pakistan attempts to surreptitiously infiltrate terrorists through the LoC (Line of Control) and IB sector," the ministry said in its review.
"Pakistan attempted to activate Poonch-Rajouri region as a "hotbed for proxy war during the year 2023-24," it said.
Therefore, the deliverables for 2025 were clearly defined in terms of maintaining robust anti-infiltration grid, relentless conduct of operations in mid and higher reaches to dislocate or neutralise terrorists and reduce local recruitment of cadres by creating a conducive environment for development, the statement said.
"Security situation in hinterland continues to witness consistent improvement since 2019," it added.
Functionality of training camps, presence of terrorists in launch pads and continuing infiltration attempts substantiate Pakistan's "persistent intent to prosecute a proxy war strategy", the ministry said.
"Significant efforts are being made by Pakistan to exploit the IB sector not only to smuggle weapons and narcotics using drones, but also to infiltrate large strength of terrorists," it said.
The ministry further said in consideration of "ongoing operational concerns", sanction for emergency procurement in the niche technology domains of drone and counter-drone, weapon systems, precision ammunition, electronic warfare systems, surveillance systems, etc., was accorded.
"A total of 29 capability development schemes have already been contracted and another 16 schemes are likely to be contracted in December 2025," it said in its review.
On manufacturing of drones and achieving 'Aatmanirbharta' in ammunition production, the ministry said that "515 Army Base Workshop and select Corps Z Workshops/EME Battalions have established credible drone manufacturing capability using in-house expertise and collaboration with subject matter experts".
"The facilities are state-of-the-art, which meet the quality requirements of drones. A total of 819 drones (surveillance -193, kamikaze/armed/weaponised -337, first pilot view -289) have been manufactured till date by EME units".
