Dhaka: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday night visited the house of former state minister for youth and sports Fazlur Rahman Patal who died on Thursday at a hospital in India’s Kolkata.

His body arrived in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon from Kolkata, reports UNB.

Khaleda Zia along with BNP Secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and assistant women affairs secretary Afroza Abbas went to Patal’s Banasree house at about 10:30pm and saw his body. She also talked to his bereaved family members and consoled them.

Earlier, a Regent Airways flight, carrying Patal’s body, reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 6:00pm, said BNP chairpersons’ media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

BNP assistant office secretary Taiful Islam Tipu and Patal’s family members received his coffin at the airport.

Later, the body was taken straight to his residence from the airport. His first namaz-e-janaza was held at Banasree-Jam-e-Mosque after Isha prayers.

Patal, also an adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, died at Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata on Thursday at the age of 65.

Patal’s body will be kept at Birdem’s mortuary.

According to a BNP press release, his second janaza will be l be held in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office at about 10:00am while the third one at the South Plaza of parliament at about 11:00am on Sunday.

Later, his body will brought to his village home at Gouripur village in Lalpur upazila of Natore and will be buried at his family graveyard after the final janaza there.

The BNP leader had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since 16 April for kidney and some other critical diseases.

He is survived by wife, two sons, two daughters and a host of relatives, followers and well-wishers to mourn his death.