Arafat buried after thousands attend janaza
Thousands of people from all walks of life attended the namaz-e-janaza of Arafat Rahman, the youngest son of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia and former president Ziaur Rahman, at the Baitul Mukarram national mosque in the city on Tuesday.After the namaz-e-janaza led by the national mosque khatib M Salauddin Ahmed, after asr prayers, Arafat was laid to eternal rest at Banani graveyard.Earlier, the body of Arafat Rahman was flown to Dhaka from Kuala Lumpur by a Malaysian Airlines flight.After arrival at about 11:50am, the body was taken straight to the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office where Khaleda has been staying since January 3. The government had kept Khaleda confined to the office in January 3-19.Khaleda could not meet Arafat since 2007 when both of them were arrested following the January 11, 2007 political changeover.
Top BNP leaders received the body at the airport.Arafat’s widow and two daughters, his maternal uncle Shameem Iskandar and two other relatives accompanied the body from Kuala Lumpur.Several hundred party activists accompanied the ambulance carrying the body of Arafat from Shahjalal International Airport to the Gulshan office and from there to the Baitul Mukarram and finally to Banani graveyard.Khaleda burst into tears when she saw the face of her deceased son as the body reached the Gulshan office around 1:35 pm. The coffin was kept at the conference room of the office on the ground floor for about an hour.Khaleda stayed beside the coffin for about 30 minutes and offered prayer along with her family members, including Arafat’s widow and two daughters.
A partial view of the funeral prayers for Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’ youngest son Arafat Raman at Baitul Mukarram mosque in Dhaka on Tuesday. — New Age photo
A large number of leaders, activists and supporters of BNP and its front organisation and components of the BNP-led alliance gathered outside Khaleda’s Gulshan office to mourn Arafat.But none except Khaleda’s family members and some leaders of BNP and its allies were allowed in.
After about an hour, Khaleda bade teary farewell to her youngest son as the ambulance carrying the body left her Gulshan office for Baitul Mukarram mosque.Leaders and activists of BNP and its allies as well as people from all walks of life started gathering at the national mosque after the zuhr prayers for the namaz-e-janaza which was held after asr prayers.The crowds of mourners packed the mosque premises and the road stretches up to the Gulisthan crossing to the south and the Dainik Banglar crossing to the east.After the janaza, the body was taken to the Banani civil graveyard where Arafat was buried around 6:45pm. Earlier, military authorities declined to allow the burial at the Banani military graveyard which is adjacent to the civil graveyard.Security was beefed up in the airport area as elsewhere in the city with riot police standing guard and water cannons and personnel carriers kept standby.Several ghaibana janazas for Arafat were held at places in the country and also in New York and London. Khaleda Zia’s eldest son and BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman attended a ghaibana janaza for Arafat at East London on Sunday, party sources said.BNP started a three-day mourning programme on Monday over the death of Arafat Rahman.As part of the programme, black flag has been hoisted and the party flag has been kept at half-mast at its offices across the country.The party leaders and activists were wearing black badges and holding prayer sessions seeking salvation of the departed soul.Arafat Rahman, who had been living in Malaysia on parole, died of a heart attack at his rented house in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
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