Hasina pays tribute to ‘guardian and mentor’ Queen Elizabeth

The prime minister signs a condolence book at the British high commissioner’s residence to pay respect to the queen

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has paid rich tributes to Queen Elizabeth II by placing flowers in front of her portrait at the British High Commission.

“With her passing, I personally feel like having lost a guardian and a mentor,” she wrote in a condolence book at the British high commissioner’s residence in Dhaka on Tuesday.

High Commissioner Robert Dickson welcomed her to the mission in Dhaka’s Baridhara in the morning, which marked the first in-person visit by the country’s prime minister to the mission.

She stood there in silence for some time in memory of the late monarch, said her Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher.

Hasina also expressed her “profound” grief while signing the condolence book.

She shared recollections of many meetings of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and her with the queen, said Dickson in a tweet.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, died aged 96 on Sept 8 at Balmoral Palace in Scotland.

Bangladesh announced three days of state mourning on the queen’s death.

In a condolence message to British Prime Minister Liz Truss, Hasina said the queen was “not only the pillar and strength of the 2.5 billion Commonwealth people but also an epitome of grace, dignity, wisdom, and service”.

“In Bangladesh, we shall always cherish the memory of Her Majesty's visit to our lands and her words of affection and kindness on the occasion of the golden jubilee of our independence,” she wrote in the condolence book.

Expressing condolences on behalf of the government, people and herself, Hasina further wrote, "For the last seventy years, her Majesty remained a steadfast symbol of grace, service and wisdom throughout the Commonwealth and the World."

“We mourn Her Majesty's irreparable loss alongside the friendly people of the UK, the Realm and the Commonwealth,” she added.

Hasina expressed “sincere” condolences to the bereaved members of the royal family and prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul of the queen.