The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its affiliated organisations on Friday observed the 44th anniversary of the death of the party’s founder and former president, Ziaur Rahman, with due solemnity and respect across the country.
This year marked a significant shift, as the BNP was able to commemorate the day without fear and in an obstruction-free environment after 15 years of restrictions and hurdles under the Awami League-led government.
In the morning, a large number of BNP leaders and activists gathered at Ziaur Rahman’s grave in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area braving inclement weather.
Led by BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, senior leaders including Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain paid tribute by placing floral wreaths at the grave.
They observed a one-minute silence, said fatiha, and participated in a munajat seeking eternal peace for the late president’s soul.
Party flags at BNP’s central office at Naya Paltan and the Chairperson’s political office at Gulshan were flown at half-mast, while black flags were hoisted as a sign of mourning.
Party activists wore black badges and chanted slogans honouring their leader.
Ziaur Rahman, the seventh president of the country, served from 1977 until his assassination on May 30, 1981, at the Chattogram Circuit House by a group of army officers.
Thousands of supporters from various city wards joined the observance at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, turning the mausoleum ground into a sea of mourners despite persistent rainfall.
Later in the day, the Dhaka North and South city units of the BNP organised food distribution programmes for the underprivileged at multiple locations in the capital.
