India FM Jaishankar meets BNP leader Tarique to convey condolences over Khaleda's death

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman in Dhaka to convey India’s condolences following the death of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

According to a statement posted on the BNP’s official Facebook page, Jaishankar handed over a condolence message from the Indian government during the meeting at the Parliament complex on Wednesday.

Jaishankar arrived in Dhaka around 11:30am on Wednesday on a special flight of the Indian Air Force. He was received at Bashar Air Base by M Farhad Hossain, a secretary at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Pakistani delegation has also travelled to Dhaka to attend the funeral prayers. Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also met Tarique to convey his country’s condolences, the BNP said.

Large crowds have packed Manik Mia Avenue to the brim for Khaleda's funeral, which is being held with full state honours.

Several other foreign dignitaries are expected to attend, including ministers from Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, along with senior representatives from Malaysia, Qatar and other countries. Heads of diplomatic missions from China, the United Kingdom, the United States and other nations are also due to be present.

Khaleda, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, died early on Tuesday after spending about 40 days in hospital in Dhaka. She served as prime minister on three occasions and led the BNP for more than four decades, rising to prominence during the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s.

Her death has prompted three days of state mourning, with Wednesday declared a public holiday.

She is due to be buried later with full state honours beside her husband, BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman, at Zia Udyan.