Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 30 : Following the demise of former Bangladesh Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Tuesday morning, party leaders expressed their deep sorrow, calling it a "great setback" for the party and a "massive loss" for the nation.
Begum Khaleda Zia died in the early morning today at the age of 80, while she was undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
According to a BNP statement on Facebook, Zia died at around 6 am (local time), shortly after the Fajr prayer.
"Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, just after Fajr prayer," the BNP statement read.
"We pray for the eternal peace of her soul and ask everyone to pray for her departed soul," it added.
Following her demise, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described Khaleda Zia as "not an ordinary leader" and "the guardian of the whole nation, especially at this juncture of transition to democracy."
He noted that it was a "great loss" for the country and that the people of Bangladesh will take inspiration from her legacy as a democratic leader.
"This is a great setback for BNP and for the entire nation because Begum Khaleda was not an ordinary leader of BNP. She was the guardian of the whole nation, especially at this juncture of transition to democracy. This is a great loss for the nation as a whole," Fakhrul said.
"As in the past, the people of Bangladesh could come out successfully with all their problems. This time too, they will also come out with the inspiration taken from Begum Khaleda, who was a great, great democratic leader. The nation will never forget her," he added.
Doctors at Evercare Hospital stated that the former Prime Minister, who is also the first woman to hold the post, died of a cardiac arrest.
"We declared her death after she succumbed to a cardiac arrest... Now our duty is to keep her in the mortuary until the government and the party decide on further arrangements. We have lost a patriot today," Dr Professor FM Siddique said.
BNP leader Abu Naser Rahmatulla also paid tribute to the late leader, calling her a "prominent figure in Bangladesh's independence and democracy," noting that her loss has created a "massive loss to society and the country."
"We pray that her love for the nation and bravery will ensure she is never forgotten in history," Rahmatulla said.
Meanwhile, security was tightened at Evercare Hospital following her death, with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) deployed and heavy barricades set up outside.
Crowds of mourners and party supporters gathered in huge numbers to pay their last respects to the leader.
The BNP also called for a seven-day mourning period to mark the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia. At the same time, the interim government's Chief Adviser announced three days of state mourning and declared a one-day general holiday on Wednesday, coinciding with Khaleda Zia's funeral prayer.
Zia was admitted to the capital Dhaka's Evercare Hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. The former Prime Minister has been suffering from various physical ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications, for a long time, and earlier this month, she was sent to London for advanced medical treatment for her ailments.
Following her death, a large crowd gathered outside the hospital even as Begum Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, arrived to pay his respects to his late mother.
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