Late king Zahir Shah laid to rest in capital

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Various, Afghan guard of honour carrying coffin of King Zahir Shah 2. Mid shot, Afghan officials 3. Wide shot, crowd around coffin 4. Mid shot, honour guard around coffin 5. Various, officials filing past coffin to pay respects 6. Mid shot, women watching 7. Wide panning shot of people filing past coffin 8. Wide shot of Eidga mosque 9. Various, soldier on armoured vehicle saluting at head of funeral procession 10. Afghan president Hamid Karzai and other Afghan and international officials arriving for prayer ceremony 11. Various, Afghan and International officials offering prayers 13. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Mohammad Sharif, local resident "When he came back to Afghanistan he established the unity among the Afghans whish was missing for years. So I hope we can follow his footsteps and carry on with the unity and brotherhood with each other." 14. Mid shot people sitting 15.SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Haji Sayed Abas, local resident "His death is a big loss, and no one can fill his place as a leader or as a human being. But I hope our people will follow the path he had chosen." 16. Wide shot of tomb where King Zahir Shah's body will be interred STORYLINE; Dignitaries, lawmakers and family members said goodbye to Afghanistan's last king during a ceremony that began at the presidential palace in Kabul on Tuesday. Zahir Shah died on Monday after a long illness at the age of 92. An honour guard carried a coffin draped in the Afghan flag containing the body of Mohammad Zahir Shah to a viewing stand under the shade of pine trees in the palace grounds. The coffin, led by an armoured military vehicle was then taken through Kabul's silent streets vehicle to the Eidga mosque for a prayer ceremony President Hamid Karzai, wearing a traditional blue and green Afghan robe, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Ambassador William Wood were among those attending. Afghan politicians and family members stood solemnly as a message was read from US President George W. Bush, who called Zahir Shah "a monumental figure in Afghan history" who "supported the goal of a representative and freely elected government in his homeland." Zahir Shah's death ended the last vestige of Afghanistan's monarchy. His death triggered three days of national mourning for a man still feted as the "Father of the Nation" since his return from exile after the 2001 ouster of the Taliban. Zahir Shah's body was later due to be buried in a hilltop shrine in Kabul next to his late wife and other members of the royal family. Police increased their presence in the area of Maranjan Hill, where local and foreign dignitaries were expected to pay their last respects for a man who oversaw four decades of relative peace before a 1973 palace coup ousted him and war shattered his country. Kabul's police chief said police were stationed at distant high points where militants could launch rocket strikes at the hilltop funeral site. Though he was not always effective during his 40-year reign, Zahir Shah is remembered warmly by his conflict-weary countrymen for steering the country without bloodshed. Born Oct. 15, 1914, Zahir Shah was proclaimed monarch in 1933 at age 19 within hours of the death of his father, King Muhammad Nadir Shah, who was assassinated before his eyes. His neutral foreign policy and limited liberalisation of a deeply conservative society managed to keep the peace - a golden age in the eyes of many Afghans pained by the extremism and slaughter that followed. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II called the king's passing a "great loss," while Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Afghanistan lost a "statesman of great stature." You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e20c936df7303a4803202d74a567167c Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork