Rajnath Singh Pays Homage to Khaleda Zia, India Extends Condolences

In a post on X, Hamidullah wrote, "Honoured to welcome HE @rajnathsingh, Hon Defense Minister at @bdhc_delhi as he conveyed condolences of #India and paid homage to former Prime Minister | @bdbnp78 Chairperson (late) #BegumKhaledaZia, in Delhi."

The post followed Singh's visit to the High Commission earlier on Thursday, during which the Defence Minister signed the Condolence Book.

Singh also expressed sorrow over Khaleda Zia's passing in a separate post on X. "Went to the High Commission of Bangladesh in New Delhi. Signed the Condolence Book expressing our profound sorrow at the passing of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of Bangladesh," he wrote.

These expressions of condolence came as Bangladesh continued to receive messages of support following Khaleda Zia's death. Earlier in the day, Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Tarique Rahman shared a heartfelt note thanking supporters who gathered for his mother's funeral.

Rahman also thanked government officials and foreign dignitaries who travelled to Bangladesh to represent their heads of state at the funeral.

"In yesterday's moments of deep personal loss, I want to speak from the heart and thank the many individuals whose care and professionalism helped the country conduct itself through my mother's final farewell," Rahman wrote in a post on X.

Bangladesh on Wednesday held the Namaz-e-Janaza of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, where thousands assembled to pay their final respects to the veteran leader.

The funeral prayer was led by the khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, while BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan oversaw the proceedings.

Following the Namaz-e-Janaza, it was announced that Khaleda Zia was laid to rest beside her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital. The funeral drew wide regional attention, with multiple South Asian nations dispatching senior representatives to Dhaka to attend the state funeral, The Daily Star reported.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also attended Khaleda Zia's funeral in Dhaka, underscoring India's engagement during the period of mourning.

Following Jaishankar's visit, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah expressed optimism about the future of bilateral ties between New Delhi and Dhaka.

In a post on X, he wrote, "As HE Dr @DrSJaishankar left Dhaka after a whirlwind 4-hr visit, #Bangladesh & #India would look forward to script a new chapter in ties, in shared interests driven by pragmatism and mutual interdependence, as indeed briefly discussed with @bdbnp78 Acting Chair, @trahmanbnp this afternoon."

- ANI