3-Day State Mourning for Khaleda Zia, Public Holiday Today

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Publish : 31 Dec 2025, 09:15 AM

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The government has declared three days of state mourning from Wednesday to Friday (December 31 to January 2) following the passing of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Additionally, a nationwide public holiday has been announced for today.

Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid shared the information with journalists at the Secretariat on Tuesday (December 30). A formal notification was subsequently issued by the Cabinet Division.

State Mourning and Honors

The gazette notification stated that the interim government is deeply saddened by the death of the "uncompromising leader" of the movement to restore democracy.

Khaleda Zia’s Funeral Today at 2 PM

To honor the memory of the three-time Prime Minister, the government has decided on the following:

Duration: State mourning will be observed from Wednesday (December 31) through Friday (January 2, 2026).
Flag Protocol: The national flag will be flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government, autonomous, and educational institutions, as well as private buildings and Bangladesh missions abroad.
Special Prayers: Special prayers (Dua) for the departed soul will be held at all mosques across Bangladesh on Friday. Other religious institutions will also organize special prayers for her soul.

Public Holiday and Exemptions

In a separate notification from the Ministry of Public Administration, the government declared a general holiday today (Wednesday, December 31) by executive order.

While all offices and private institutions remain closed, the following emergency services are exempt from the holiday:

Electricity, water, gas, and fuel supplies.
Fire services and port activities.
Waste management and cleaning services.
Telephone, internet, and postal services.
Hospitals, emergency medical services, and vehicles carrying medicine or medical equipment.

The notification added that Bangladesh Bank and the Supreme Court would issue specific instructions regarding the operations of banks and courts, respectively.

Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at the age of 80 on Tuesday morning while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.

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