Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday paid homage to party founder slain president Ziaur Rahman by placing wreaths at his grave marking the party’s 37th founding anniversary.  

Khaleda, the widow of Zia, placed the wreaths flanked by party leaders and activists at Zia’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar grave at about 11:20am and offered fateha there.

She also joined a munajat seeking salvation of Zia’s departed soul.  

BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, ASM Hannan Shah, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Shah Moazzem Hossain, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Selima Rahman, chairperson’s advisers Inam Ahmed Chowdhury, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, and BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon were, among others, present.

Leaders and activists of different units and associate bodies of the party also laid wreaths at Zia’s grave on the occasion.

Several thousands BNP leaders and activists gathered on the grave premises with banners, festoons and portraits of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman amid tight security.

BNP and its associate bodies are celebrating the founding anniversary with various programmes across the country. On the occasion, BNP flags were hoisted atop all the offices of BNP, including Nayapaltan central office, across the country in the early morning.  

The party has arranged a discussion at the Institution of Diploma Engineers scheduled to be held in the afternoon on the occasion.  

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in a message, congratulated the countrymen, party leaders, workers and activists and well-wishers on the occasion of the founding anniversary.  

On this day in 1978, General Zia founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with a 19-point programme to build Bangladesh as a self-reliant one in the process of political transition from military rule following the 15 August 1975 coup.  

Zia also established multiparty democracy in the country. After Zia’s assassination on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong, his widow Khaleda Zia took over the charge of the party and she is still at its helm. She was elected the country’s Prime Minister thrice.