Khaleda Zia's Janaza to be Held Wednesday after Zuhr at South Plaza of Parliament House : Mirza Fakhrul

The namaz-e-janaza of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be held at the South Plaza of the Parliament complex on Manik Mia Avenue at Bangladesh time 2:00pm tomorrow, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Tuesday.

After the janaza, she will be buried beside the grave of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, he told journalists following a meeting of the party's standing committee.

Fakhrul said Khaleda Zia had left the nation at a time when she was needed the most, as Bangladesh moves towards an election aimed at democratic transition. "When the entire nation is ready to establish a democratic system through an election, she left us," he said.

He said the BNP would follow the path shown by its leader to give democracy an institutional shape in Bangladesh through a free and fair election in the upcoming polls.

He also said the janaza would be led by the khatib of the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, while the overall proceedings would be conducted by BNP National Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan.

At the beginning of his remarks, Fakhrul said, "You all know that throughout almost her entire political life, our leader struggled for democracy and worked to establish democratic values."

He said, "When she was prime minister, she worked to institutionalise democracy. She worked for the development of the people. And when she was in the opposition, she tried in the same way to institutionalise democracy."

"With the passing of this leader today, an irreparable loss has occurred in Bangladesh's political history. This loss cannot be easily filled."