Islamabad: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has alleged that efforts were made to forcibly stop him from attending the funeral of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia during his visit to Bangladesh.

Speaking to journalists in an informal interaction, Ayaz Sadiq said that delegations from Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan were transported together to the funeral venue in a single bus. He said Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar and the Indian high commissioner were seated in the front seats of the bus.

Ayaz Sadiq claimed that the curtains on the bus windows were drawn to avoid interaction with the Bangladeshi public. He said he chose to sit further back with Pakistan’s high commissioner and later opened the curtains, waving back at Bangladeshi citizens chanting slogans.

He said upon arrival at the funeral venue, the Indian high commissioner stood at the bus door and objected to his disembarking, citing security concerns due to the crowd. Ayaz Sadiq said he insisted on getting down, stating that he had come specifically to attend the funeral.

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According to the speaker, when the door was not opened, he raised his voice and demanded it be opened. He then disembarked along with the delegations from Nepal and Maldives and joined the Bangladeshi public in offering funeral prayers.

Ayaz Sadiq said the Indian foreign minister and high commissioner remained inside the bus as they were not participating in the funeral prayers. He alleged that the Indian high commissioner made every effort to prevent him from offering prayers and turn the situation into an issue.

He further claimed that the Indian delegation had arrived with prior planning and preparation, suggesting the incident was not accidental.