Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Dhaka on Wednesday to pay their last respects to Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Zia, the country's first female prime minister, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80 following a long illness. Mourners offered prayers and carried flags with Zia's image as her motorcade moved along streets near the parliament. The hearse was draped with the national flag. Flags flew at half-mast across the city, and thousands of security officers were deployed to manage the large crowd. Setara Sultana, an activist from Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said, "I have come this far just to say goodbye. I know I won't be able to see her face, but at least I could see the [vehicle] carrying her for the last rites." Sharmina Siraj, a mother of two, called Zia "an inspiration," praising her education stipends that helped her daughters. She told AFP, "It is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon." Several foreign dignitaries attended the funeral, including India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Bhutan's Foreign Minister Lyonpo DN Dhungyel. Earlier Wednesday, Zia’s body was taken to her son Tarique Rahman’s house, where he was seen reciting the Quran next to her office. Zia will be buried beside her husband, Ziaur Rahman, a former president who was assassinated in 1981. This event marked her entry into politics, leading the BNP in Bangladesh’s first elections after 20 years. Zia was known as an "uncompromising leader," refusing to join a military-backed election in the 1980s. She spent time in prison and house arrest during her political career. For the past 16 years, she stood as a symbol of opposition against the Awami League government led by her rival Sheikh Hasina. Despite her illness, BNP said Zia planned to run in the February parliamentary elections, aiming for a political return. The party revealed she was to contest three constituencies. If successful, her son Tarique Rahman, who returned from exile in London last week after 17 years, is expected to lead the country. Following her death, Rahman said, "The country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations."