FM Herath stuck in Dhaka traffic, misses Khaleda’s funeral View(s):Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath flew to Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 31) to attend the state funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who passed away at the age of 80. Despite being given a police escort from the airport, the motorcade carrying Minister Herath could make little headway in the face of huge crowds of mourners that had travelled from all over Bangladesh to pay their respects to the late premier. Minister Herath was not the only foreign dignitary who missed the state funeral after being stuck in traffic. In the end, Minister Herath and other foreign dignitaries met members of the Zia family privately and offered their condolences. He then met with Tarique Rahman, son of the late leader and chairperson of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Source: Sunday Times January 03, 2026 22:41 UTC