United News of Bangladesh

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, marking the 56th Independence and National Day. They placed wreaths at the altar of the National Memorial in Savar at 5:56am. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived at the memorial at 5:53am, his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon said. On the President’s arrival, the Prime Minister received him at the memorial. After placing the wreaths, they stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of deep respect for the martyrs. A smartly turned-out contingent of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented a state salute, while bugles played the last post. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan, Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani and the chiefs of the three services were present. Later, the Prime Minister laid another wreath along with members of his Cabinet. As BNP Chairman, Tarique Rahman also placed wreaths at the memorial along with party leaders including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

BNP has announced a two-day programme to mark Independence and National Day. The programmes were announced in a press release signed by the party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. According to the release, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will pay tribute to the martyrs by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar along with senior party leaders after the state ceremony in the morning. Later, at 7:00am, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the party’s Standing Committee will place wreaths at the graves of party founder and former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. On the following day, a discussion meeting will be held at 2:30pm at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, where Tarique Rahman will attend as the chief guest. The release also said national and party flags will be hoisted at dawn at the party’s central office in Nayapaltan, the chairman’s office and party offices across the country.

BNP has rescheduled its discussion meeting marking the Independence and National Day. The programme, which was earlier scheduled for March 25, will now be held on March 27 at 2:30pm at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Ramna. The change was announced in a press release signed by party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday. Rizvi said BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend the programme as the chief guest. Party Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will preside over the meeting. Earlier, at a press conference at Nayapaltan, Rizvi said the discussion would be held on March 25 at the same venue and time.

The condition of BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas who is undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital is improving, Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said on Monday. “I have talked to the doctors. They said various parameters are showing positive signs. His condition is improving, Alhamdulillah,” he said. As the condition involves the brain, Dr Zahid, also a BNP Standing Committee member, said recovery will take time. “We call upon everyone to pray for his speedy recovery,” he added. Mirza Abbas, also Political Adviser to the Prime Minister, was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on March 15 after being flown from Dhaka by an air ambulance. His personal assistant Mizanur Rahman Sohel said doctors helped him sit on a chair from his bed around 10am which he described as a positive sign. “He is gradually able to speak and is under close observation of doctors,” Sohel said, requesting prayers from the public on behalf of his family. He also said Abbas’s wife Afroza Abbas and son Yasir Abbas are staying by his side at the hospital. Earlier, on March 13, Mirza Abbas underwent brain surgery at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, following a decision by a medical board formed with specialist doctors. The surgery lasted nearly four hours, after which he remained in the ICU for two days before being taken to Singapore. He was first admitted to Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara on the night of March 11 after falling ill and losing consciousness during iftar.

Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, left Dhaka for London on Sunday morning. She departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight (BG-201), according to airport authorities. The flight is scheduled to land at London’s Heathrow Airport at 9:00pm. BNP sources said Dr Zubaida Rahman is travelling to London to attend a medical training programme. She returned to Bangladesh last year after living in London with her husband Tarique Rahman for 17 years. During her stay there, she worked as a cardiologist at a London hospital. On Saturday, Eid day, she attended an Eid greetings programme with the Prime Minister at the state guest house Jamuna. Later, they visited Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and offered prayers at the graves of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

BNP on Sunday announced a two-day programme to observe the Great Independence and National Day on March 26. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programmes at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office. As part of the programmes, the party will hoist the national and party flags at all its offices, including the central one, in the morning. On the day, the President and the Prime Minister will place wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar, paying tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War.  BNP leaders and activists will also pay homage there on behalf of the party. From the National Memorial, party leaders and activists will go to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to place wreaths at the graves of the party’s founder and former President Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia. A doa mahfil will also be held on the grave premises organised by the Jatiyatabadi Olama Dal. On March 25, BNP will hold a discussion meeting at 2:30pm at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. Speaking at the press conference, Rizvi, who is also the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Industry, said the  Independence and National Day is a major milestone in the nation’s history as independence has given Bangladesh a distinct identity on the world map and among the international community. He said the day is highly significant le as independence was achieved through long struggle and sacrifice, reaching its goal on March 26. Rizvi also said then Major Ziaur Rahman’s declaration of independence inspired people from all walks of life — students, workers, farmers and general citizens — to join the Liberation War. He said BNP has taken the elaborate programmes to observe the day with due respect to the sacrifices made during the Liberation War. The BNP leader said the party has already published a poster marking Independence Day and will bring out special supplements in national dailies on the occasion. In addition to the central two-day programme, Rizvi said BNP units at district and municipal levels will organise discussion meetings and other events, while its associate and affiliated bodies will also draw up and implement their own programmes. He called upon leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organisations to make the programmes a success.

Leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Saturday visited families of martyrs of the July mass uprising and offered prayers at their graves in the capital, marking Eid-ul-Fitr with a programme titled ‘Shaheedi Mulakat’. As part of the initiative, NCP leaders exchanged Eid greetings with family members of the fallen and prayed for the departed souls at graveyards. A delegation led by the party’s Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adeeb visited the graves of Arafat Hossain Shahadat, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, Ridwan Sharif Riyad (Joy), and Jabir Ibrahim in Uttara and surrounding areas, before meeting their families. After offering Eid prayers, the leaders first went to Arafat’s residence, where they greeted his parents and other family members. During the visit, Arafat’s brother Hasan Ali demanded justice for his brother’s killing and expressed concern over the financial and social security of the martyr’s family. Later around 11am, the delegation visited the graves of Mugdho and Joy in the Kamarpara area and offered prayers. They also met Joy’s family members and exchanged Eid greetings. In a separate programme, another NCP delegation led by Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary visited the family of Farhan Faiyaz around 7pm and conveyed Eid greetings. The party leaders said the ‘Shaheedi Mulakat’ programme reflects their solidarity with the families of those who sacrificed their lives during the July uprising.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman exchanged Eid greetings with diplomats of various diplomatic missions in Dhaka on Saturday. He exchanged greetings with them from 11 am to 12:30 pm at his official residence on Minto Road in the capital. Earlier, he offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at around 8:00 am at the Monipur Girls’ High School ground adjacent to 60 Feet Road in Mirpur in the capital.

Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Opposition Leader in Parliament, will offer the holy Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at 8:00am on Saturday at the Monipur Girls’ High School ground, located beside the 60 Feet Road in Mirpur. Following the prayers, he will exchange Eid greetings with people from all walks of life, according to a media statement. Later in the day, he is scheduled to exchange Eid greetings with diplomats stationed in Dhaka from 11:00am to 12:30pm, and with political leaders and others from various segments of society from 3:00pm to 4:30pm at his government residence on Minto Road.  

Police have arrested a local leader of Awami League from his residence in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district in a sabotage case early Thursday. The arrestee is Md Nayeb Ali Khan, 60, vice-president of Maheshpur union unit Awami League and son of Syed Ali Khan alias Ranga Khan. Based on secret information, police conducted a drive at his house at Baspur and arrested Nayeb Ali at the dead of night, said Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Kashiani Police Station. He was listed in a sabotage case filed over an incident on July 16, 2024, said the OC. On July 16, the supporters of Awami League and its associate bodies allegedly obstructed a programme of the National Citizen Party (NCP) by felling trees on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in the Majra area, creating panic and disrupting vehicular movement. The AL leader will be produced before the court.