Bangladesh mourns ex-PM Khaleda Zia with state funeral

Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades

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



Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.



A sea of mourners gathered outside parliament and packed streets leading to it, many waving national flags as well as those of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party , before prayers held over her coffin.