DHAKA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The funeral of Syed Ashraful Islam, Bangladesh's public administration minister and ex-ruling party general secretary, was held here on Sunday with highest state honor.

Tens of thousands of people including his cabinet colleagues, supporters and well-wishers joined the funeral prayers in Dhaka and at his home village.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their last respects to him on Sunday.

Islam was later buried at a graveyard in the capital city.

After a long battle with cancer, Islam died at the age of 67 in Bangkok on Thursday night.

Islam was chosen as the ruling Awami League party's general secretary in 2009 and served for two consecutive terms till 2016.

Later he was appointed as a new member of Awami League presidium, the party's highest policy-making body.

Islam was the son of Syed Nazrul Islam who served as the acting president of Bangladesh in absence of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during the country's Liberation War in 1971.