India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages Pages 16 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, 01 January 2026 NATION EDITORIAL Power on Trial Page 8 Politics 2025 a year of BJP dominance, shifting Oppn fortunes PERSPECTIVE Neither victorious, nor vanquished Page 5 Page 9 Begum Zia laid to rest; EAM hands over PM’s letter to Tarique Rahman UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi/Dhaka, 31 December B egum Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s former premier and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was laid to rest beside her husband, late Gen Ziaur Rahman at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Wednesday afternoon. Begum Zia was formally buried around 4.30 p.m. with full state honours, following her funeral held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan, the national parliament building. A large number of foreign dignitaries, including India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, attended the ceremony alongside family members, senior state officials, government representatives, diplomats, and BNP leaders. Earlier in the day, Mr Jaishankar met Tarique Rahman, the son of Begum Khaleda Zia, and handed over a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conveying India’s sympathies to the grieving family. Sources said Mr Jaishankar was also “briefed about fast moving political events in Dhaka” by both the Indian High commission and top BNP and other political leaders. Mr Jaishankar’s trip for an out-of-power politician is being seen by Bangladeshis as an unusually friendly gesture from India. Tarique is expected to take over the mantle of his mother and lead the BNP in the forthcoming elections for the country’s parliament in February. Analysts believe that in an election from which BNP’s main rival, the Awami League, has been banned, and where the Yunus government stand discredited for allowing chaos to rule on Dhaka’s streets, BNP may have its best shot ever at an electoral vctory. Access to the burial site where Begum Zia was finally laid to rest, was strictly restricted, while public movement in Zia Udyan and surrounding areas of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar was limited till the burial was completed. Earlier, hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered at Manik Mia Avenue to offer prayers at her ‘namaze-janaza’, bidding her a final farewell. Large crowds lined the route of Zia’s cortege as it passed solemnly through the streets. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, advisers of the interim government, BNP leaders, and the chiefs of the three armed services joined the service. The three-time former prime minister and long-serving chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had passed away at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday at Evercare Hospital after a prolonged, age-related illness. No third party, says New Delhi on China’s mediation claim STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 31 December A day after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi claimed that China had played a role in ending hostilities between India and Pakistan in the month of May following the Pahalgam terror attack, sources in the Indian government firmly rejected the claim, reiterating that no third party was involved in the ceasefire decision in the wake of Operation Sindoor. Amid repeated claims by US President Donald Trump of having mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, New Delhi has consistently maintained that the ceasefire on 10 May following Operation Sindoor, was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries. Although no official statement was issued, news outlets quoted a government source as saying: “We have already refuted such claims. On bilateral issues between India and Pakistan, there is no role for a third party. Our position has been clarified on several occasions in the past that the India-Pakistan ceasefire was agreed to directly between the DGMOs of the two countries.” The development comes after Mr Wang, speaking at a symposium in Beijing on Tuesday, claimed that China has mediated several global conflicts, including the standoff between India and Pakistan. Govt decides to freeze VI’s AGR dues: New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to freeze Rs 87,695 crore in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues owed by Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), while rescheduling the payment window for the company from the financial year 2032 to 2041. The decision is aimed at providing financial breathing space to Vodafone Idea, which has been struggling under a massive debt burden and sustained losses amid intense competition in the telecom market. According to sources, the decision does not involve a waiver of the dues but a temporary freeze, giving the telecom operator time to stabilise operations and improve its financial health. Page 12