Higher Education Minister Dr. Ali Haidar will be attending the state funeral accorded by the Bangladeshi government to late Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, as the Special Envoy of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and a key figure in the nation’s turbulent political history, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged period of illness.
According to the President’s Office, during his trip to Bangladesh, Minister Haidar is scheduled to visit Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Dr. Mouhammed Yunus and members of the bereaved family where he will convey condolences on behalf of the President, the government, and the people of the Maldives.
Khaleda passed away at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been admitted on November 23 after showing signs of a lung infection, The Daily Star reported. Doctors said she has also been suffering from advanced liver cirrhosis, along with arthritis, diabetes, and complications affecting her chest and heart.
The funeral of Khaleda, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister who served multiple terms, will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 14:00pm, Bangladesh time.
Khaleda, along with archrival Sheikh Hasina, defined the country’s politics for a generation.
Khaleda Zia received prison sentences in several corruption cases involving charitable trusts during the later years of her political life. In 2018, she was jailed after being convicted in two major cases. She challenged the rulings, and over time higher courts overturned or cancelled the sentences. Because of her worsening health, the government repeatedly suspended her imprisonment so she could receive medical care. In her final years, she was no longer serving a prison term.
 
These cases were widely seen as controversial, as many supporters and international observers believed they were driven by political motives. The charges were brought while her party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was in opposition, leading critics to say the cases were meant to reduce her political power. Questions were also raised about the timing of the trials, the quick verdicts, and the fairness of the legal process. Authorities, however, said the cases were part of a lawful anti-corruption campaign and insisted that the law applied equally to everyone.