External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Dhaka on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, to attend the funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
In an official statement, the ministry said Jaishankar would represent the Government and people of India at the funeral of Begum Khaleda Zia, who also served as chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, passed away early Tuesday morning at the age of 80. According to a statement shared by the BNP on Facebook, she died around 6 am local time, shortly after the Fajr prayer. The party offered prayers for her soul and urged supporters to remember her in their prayers.
The veteran leader had been undergoing treatment for multiple health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications. She was admitted to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on November 23 due to a lung infection and was later taken to London earlier this month for advanced medical care, ANI reported.
Following her death, leaders from across the world expressed condolences, remembering her role in shaping Bangladesh’s political landscape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by her passing and conveyed condolences to her family and the people of Bangladesh. He also acknowledged her contributions to Bangladesh’s development and to India-Bangladesh relations.