Nayapaltan shrouded in grief after Khaleda Zia’s death

A pall of gloom descended on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday as devastated leaders and activists streamed in, many in tears, following the death of party Chairperson and three-time former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Many leaders and activists were seen weeping openly as they mourned the loss of their beloved leader.

Some party leaders also expressed anger, blaming the Sheikh Hasina government for her death. They alleged that Khaleda Zia fell seriously ill due to a lack of proper treatment during her time in jail.

Meanwhile, a full recitation (Khatm) of the holy Quran began at the party office. Black flags were hoisted as a mark of mourning.

Following her death, BNP announced seven days of mourning. Party flags will be kept at half-mast and black flags will be hoisted at all party offices during the mourning period.

The party will also open a condolence book at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office for three days.

BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said the condolence book would be open for signatures on Tuesday from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It will remain open on Wednesday (31 December) from 4:00pm to 9:00pm and on Thursday (1 January) from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

Khaleda Zia, a three-time former prime minister and BNP Chairperson, passed away at 6:00 am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.

She was admitted to the hospital on 23 November. As her condition worsened on 27 November, she was shifted to the ICU, where she remained on life support until her death.

Born on 15 August, 1945, Khaleda Zia was Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and the second woman prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan.