Before the funeral of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, her eldest son and acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman has offered prayers and sought forgiveness for her mother on behalf of the family.
In a brief speech before the funeral at Manik Mia Avenue on Wednesday (December 31) before 3 pm, Tarique Rahman said that if anyone was hurt by any words or actions of Begum Khaleda Zia while she was alive, he apologized to them. At the same time, he asked everyone to pray for the forgiveness of his mother’s soul. He also said that if Khaleda Zia has taken any loan from anyone, she will take the responsibility of paying it herself.
Then, Khaleda Zia’s funeral was held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building and Manik Mia Avenue. The funeral was led by Maulana Abdul Malek, Khatib of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram. Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, along with heads of various forces, top leaders of all political parties, and lakhs of people from different classes and professions participated in it.
Earlier, Khaleda Zia’s body was taken from the capital’s Evercare Hospital to her Gulshan residence at 8:54 am and reached the funeral venue at 11:48 am. The government has declared three days of state mourning after her death at 6 am on Tuesday. BNP is observing a seven-day mourning program.