Ex-PM Khaleda Zia gets state funeral

Bangladesh bade farewell yesterday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing 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.

Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister.

"I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered," he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade as her body passed by.