RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Thursday sent a cable of condolences to the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin after the passing of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday.

The king prayed that God have mercy on Zia, forgive her sins, and admit her into paradise. He extended his condolences to the family of the deceased.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a similar cable.

On Wednesday, huge crowds had flocked to the area outside Bangladesh’s national parliament building in the capital to attend the funeral prayers for Zia, who died at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.

Zia was buried in late afternoon with state honors beside the grave of her husband, a former president who was assassinated in a military coup in 1981, in a park outside the parliament building later Wednesday.