India, Jan. 1 -- As Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, 80, passed away in Dhaka on December 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his heartfelt condolences to Zia's son and Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting chief, Tarique Rahman who returned to Bangladesh recently after 17 years of a self-imposed exile.

PM Modi wrote to Rahman and said his thoughts are with the people of Bangladesh and that while her passing leaves an irreplaceable void, her vision and legacy will endure, according to news agency ANI.

PM Modi's letter was handed over to Tarique Rahman by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was in Bangladesh on Wednesday to attend Khaleda Zia's funeral.

In his letter to Rahman, Modi reportedly calle...