EAM S Jaishankar represents India at funeral of Khaleda Zia, meets Tarique Rahman

New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday represented India at the funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia, who died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, and delivered a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to her son Tarique Rahman.

Jaishankar met Rahman, the acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Khaleda Zia's son and handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conveying condolences on behalf of the government and people of India. Rahman is the frontrunner for the post of PM if BNP is voted to power.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said: "Conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the government and people of India. Expressed confidence that Begum Khaleda Zia's vision and values will guide the development of our partnership."


Rahman, who now leads BNP, received the condolence message at a meeting attended by senior party leaders and family members. After the meeting, Rahman thanked Jaishankar for the gesture. This was the first visit by India's external affairs minister to Dhaka since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina through street protests in August 2024.

Earlier, Modi offered his condolences to the people of Bangladesh on the "tragic loss" after the death of the senior stateswoman whose contributions to Bangladesh's democratic evolution were hailed in democratic circles. The prime minister also highlighted the longstanding historical ties between India and Bangladesh, saying the two countries shared deep bonds of friendship and respect that transcended political differences.

The 80-year-old former PM was laid to rest beside spouse and former President Ziaur Rahman along the Manik Mia avenue in Dhaka. People from different walks of life gathered in Dhaka to offer prayers for Zia. Ministers from various South Asian countries - Nepalese foreign minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Bhutanese foreign minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel, Sri Lankan foreign minister Vijitha Herath and Maldivian higher education and labour minister Ali Haidar Ahmed and Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq - attended the funeral. Jaishankar briefly shook hands with Sadiq.