The funeral prayer for BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was held on Wednesday afternoon at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building and Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka. The prayer was led by Mufti Abdul Malek, Khatib of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram. Crowds of supporters and citizens began gathering at the site from Tuesday night, and by midday Wednesday, the area was filled with people from all walks of life. Khaleda Zia will be buried beside the grave of late President Ziaur Rahman at 3 p.m. Khaleda Zia passed away at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30, at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, at the age of 80. She had been under treatment there since November 23 due to critical health complications. Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia was Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister and the second woman in the Muslim world to hold such a position after Benazir Bhutto. Her funeral marks the end of an era in Bangladesh’s political history, as she was a central figure in the country’s leadership for decades.