Dhaka, Dec. 31 -- High-level dignitaries from South Asian countries, including ministers and parliamentary speakers converged in Dhaka on Wednesday to attend the funeral of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Zia, who dominated the country's politics for decades, died on Tuesday in Dhaka.

According to officials at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Nepalese Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma was among the first foreign dignitaries to reach the Bangladesh capital, landing last night.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived on Wednesday morning to "represent the government and people of India" at the rite, and shortly after his landing, Pakistan National Assembly S...