India FM Jaishankar, Pakistan's Ishaq Dar to attend Khaleda's funeral
They will pay their last respects to Khaleda Zia on behalf of their respective countries
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and are set to arrive in Dhaka to attend the namaz-e-janaza of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
"The External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar will represent the government and people of India at the funeral of Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He will accordingly visit Dhaka on 31 December," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement today (30 December).
Meanwhile, officials at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka and the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad have confirmed to The Business Standard that Ishaq Dar is expected to attend the funeral prayers scheduled for tomorrow.
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Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6am today while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka at the age of 79.
Born on 15 August 1946, Khaleda Zia led the BNP for decades, navigating periods of political upheaval, imprisonment and political comeback.
She served as prime minister for three terms, from 1991 to 1996, a few weeks after February 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006.
The late BNP chairperson is recognised as the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second elected woman prime minister in the Muslim world.
Following her death, leaders and heads of government from different countries around the world have expressed deep shock and condolences.
