Saudi Conveys Condolence on Death of Former Bangladesh PM

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Thursday sent a message of condolences to Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin following the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia earlier this week.

In his message, the king prayed for Allah’s mercy upon Zia, asked for forgiveness of her sins, and expressed his sympathies to the bereaved family. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a separate condolence cable.

On Wednesday, large crowds gathered outside Bangladesh’s national parliament building in Dhaka to participate in the funeral prayers for Zia, who passed away at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.

She was laid to rest later in the day with full state honours beside the grave of her late husband, a former president who was assassinated during a military coup in 1981, in a park adjacent to the parliament complex.

Saudi Arabia announced its formal recognition of Bangladesh on Aug. 28, 1975. The following year, Bangladesh opened its mission in the Kingdom, reciprocated with a Saudi mission in Dhaka in October 1977.

There are approximately 3 million Bangladeshi citizens working in Saudi Arabia, making them the largest expatriate community and a major source of foreign labor for the Kingdom.