Sawt Falasteen - Bangladesh mourns ex-PM Khaleda Zia with state funeral

Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80.

"Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration," homemaker Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that "it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon".

The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls' education "had a huge impact on the lives of our girls. To me, this is her biggest contribution".

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12 -- the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.

Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned only last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning, with an elaborate state funeral beginning with prayers outside parliament around 2:00 pm (0800 GMT).

Flags will be flown at half-mast, and a large deployment of security forces is expected across the capital, Dhaka.

Yunus said Bangladesh had "lost a great guardian".

"Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty," he said in a statement.

Zia's body will be interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.

- 'Unbreakable' -

Rahman said in a statement that "the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations".

His mother, he added, "endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution", but "never stopped sheltering her family with courage and compassion".

"Her resilience... was unbreakable."

Suffering from a raft of health issues, Zia was rushed to hospital in late November, where her condition had gradually deteriorated despite treatment.

Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for next year's polls.

Zia was "an uncompromising leader for all the people", said activist ABM Abdul Fattah, who joined mourners on Tuesday outside the Dhaka hospital where the former leader died.

"She always wanted to restore democracy by staying in this country and by safeguarding the people," he told AFP.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia's "vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership", a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina's fall.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due to attend the funeral, New Delhi said, the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will also attend, Islamabad's High Commission in Dhaka said.

Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.

Three-time prime minister Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina's government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

Zia was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.

"I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia's soul," Hasina said, in a statement shared on social media by her now-banned Awami League party.

T.Khatib--SF-PST