As far as the eye could see around the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area, there were people—and only people.

They came in droves to bid farewell to Begum Khaleda Zia. The sheer scale of the gathering made it clear that, in her final moments, she had emerged as a symbol of national unity, transcending her identity as a former prime minister and BNP chairperson.

People from across the country rushed to the capital to pay their last respects to Khaleda Zia, a leader of Bangladesh. Even nature seemed to join the farewell: after several days of biting cold, gentle sunshine bathed the city, offering some comfort to the mourners.

Under tight security, Khaleda Zia’s body reached the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building around 11:48am. Her body was brought in a freezer van, wrapped in the red and green national flag, following state protocol.

Earlier, around 11:00am, the freezer van carrying her body set out from the Gulshan residence of her son, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Before that, her body had been taken from Evercare Hospital in the capital to Gulshan in the morning.

Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at the hospital. She was 80. She had long been suffering from multiple complications, including heart disease, lung, liver and kidney ailments, as well as diabetes.