SA Khaleque, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and vice president of the Dhaka city unit of the BNP, passed away on Sunday afternoon at a hospital in Dhaka. He was 97.

SA Khaleque, also a former deputy mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation and a five-time MP, breathed his last around 3:30pm at United Hospital, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

He said the former MP had long been suffering from various old-age complications.

SA Khaleque was admitted to the United Hospital on Wednesday last as his health condition deteriorated, Sayrul said.

He said the BNP leader was placed on a ventilator on Saturday night as his condition turned critical.

Hearing the news, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir visited Khaleque at the hospital on Sunday noon, just over three hours before his death.

Sayrul said Khaleque's Namaz-e-Janaza will be held in front of the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office at 12pm on Monday. Another Janaza will be held at 2 pm at Mirpur Bangla College, and he will be laid to rest at his family graveyard near Gabtali Mirpur Shahi Mosque.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas, Dhaka South City unit Convenor Rafiqul Alam Mojnu, and Dhaka North City unit Convenor Aminul Haque expressed deep shock over the death of SA Khaleque.

In separate messages, they prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and conveyed their profound sympathy to the bereaved family members.

SA Khaleque joined the BNP through its founder Ziaur Rahman and was first elected MP in the 1979 parliamentary elections from the Dhaka-14 constituency.

He was later elected as an MP from Dhaka-11 in the 1986 and 1988 elections with the ticket of the Jatiya Party.

Khaleque returned to BNP before the 1996 national elections, securing the Dhaka-11 seat again with its ticket. His final term in Parliament came in 2001 when he was re-elected as a BNP candidate from the same constituency.