BNP prays for Zia family, nation on Aug 15, Partying wouldn’t have looked decent amid flooding, current situation

Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday held a munajat (prayer) session, praying for long life of its party chairperson Khaleda Zia and eternal peace for the departed soul of late president, Ziaur Rahman.
The prayer session was held at the party central office at Nayapaltan in the capital. The congregation also prayed for good health of BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman and divine peace for the departed soul of Arafat Rahman.
The munajat conducted by Jatiyatabadi Ulema Dal general secretary, Md Nesarul Haque, prayed for ailing and deceased BNP leaders and activists. The BNP leaders and activists also prayed for peace and progress of the nation.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who attended the prayer session, faced the inquiring journalists who wanted to know the reason of holding the prayer session.
Fakhrul told reporters that this year Khaleda Zia cancelled her birthday celebration programmes against the backdrop of the current social and political situations and flooding in the country.
‘The chairperson thought that it would not be wise to celebrate birthday amid the prevailing political, social and flood situation in the country,’ Fakhrul said.
The BNP leader said, instead, a ‘doa’ session was held praying for long life of Khaleda Zia, eternal peace for departed
souls of Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP and Arafat Rahman, Zia’s younger son.
BNP leaders, including Nazrul Islam Khan, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Selima Rahman, Shamsuzzaman Dudu,
Amanullah Aman, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Abdus Salam Azad and Nazimuddin Alam, among others, took part in the munajat.
Leaders and activists of BNP and its front and associate organisations were also asked not to celebrate the chairperson’s birthday, and, rather pray for her, party leaders said.
A number of political leaders and some noted citizens had urged Khaleda Zia not to celebrate her birthday this
year on August 15, a date that coincided with the massacre of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman– the founding president of the country– and his family members.
Those political leaders had said partying on August 15 would not look decent in view of her recent call for forging national unity to face the menace of extremism across the country.
The BNP chairperson on Sunday night visited her Gulshan office to do some routine jobs, party sources said.
Senior leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy had met Khaleda Zia at her office.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net