The body of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was taken from Evercare Hospital in Dhaka to her son’s residence at house number 196 in Gulshan on Wednesday morning around 9:15 a.m. A strong security presence surrounded the vehicle carrying her body. Her funeral prayer is scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building and Manik Mia Avenue. Supporters and party members began gathering in the area from Tuesday night.

Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30, at Evercare Hospital, at the age of 80. She had been receiving treatment there since November 23, with her condition described as extremely critical. Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto.

The arrangements for her funeral and the large gathering of supporters indicate the significance of her political legacy in Bangladesh.