President’s body flown in; PM says ‘he was needed, more than before’; BNP mourning for 3 days; burial today
A little over four years ago, Bangabhaban was decorated to welcome him as the nation’s guardian. There was celebration, people from many walks of life stood up with smiles to greet the honest, veteran politician he had been. Yesterday, they were there again, this time to see Zillur Rahman off to a land from where no one returns.
Draped in a national flag and placed in a car decorated with flowers, the body of the late president reached Bangabhaban at 1:00pm. Members of the armed forces offered a guard of honour shortly after his body arrived.
His first namaz-e-janaza will be held at Haji Asmat College in Bhairab in Kishoreganj at 9:00am today.
After the janaza, Zillur’s body will be flown to Bangabhaban where envoys of different countries, representing their heads of state and heads of government, and other diplomats will pay tributes to the president at 12:30pm.
The second janaza will be held at the Jatiya Eidgah Maidan at 2:30pm. Later, Zillur Rahman will be laid to eternal rest beside his wife Ivy Rahman’s grave at Banani graveyard at 4:00pm.
The body of the 84-year-old politician arrived at the airport around noon yesterday, a day after he breathed his last at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. A special flight of Biman Bangladesh brought back the body.
Earlier in the day, the government around 11:00am declared a public holiday for yesterday to mourn the president. The decision came into effect immediately after the announcement at an emergency cabinet meeting.
The cabinet also adopted a condolence motion on the death of the president.
The government has declared a three-day mourning beginning yesterday. Separately, the main opposition BNP is observing a three-day mourning which also began yesterday.
Zillur’s coffin, draped in the national flag was, brought down from the aircraft around 12:10pm. Ten generals of Bangladesh Armed Forces carried the coffin to a makeshift dais where acting president and parliament Speaker Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the president by placing wreaths on the coffin.
Around 12:25pm, a jeep decorated and covered with flowers and the national flag headed for the president’s residence, Bangabhaban. Hundreds of people lined up from Airport Road to Bangabhaban to pay tribute.
His body reached Bangabhaban at 1:03pm where Abdul Hamid, Sheikh Hasina and chiefs of the three services, among others, paid their homage to the president.
All cabinet members and top AL leaders stood in solemn silence there. Then the body was taken inside Bangabhaban, where shell-shocked family members, relatives and AL leaders, among others, paid their tributes to Zillur.
Some ministers were seen in tears.
A grieving Hasina told journalists the country had lost a guardian, but words could not describe what she herself and her sister Sheikh Rehana had lost.
“He passed away exactly when his leadership was needed the most,” Hasina said, “He was capable of handling any situation. He led the party during the toughest of times and saved democracy.”
The AL chief said, “He was acceptable to all even though we elected him as president. I used to see him for all kinds of political advice and decisions. I don’t have that anymore.
“Everyone, please pray for him from wherever you are. May Allah grant him a most deserved place in heaven. This is my prayer.”
Accompanied by senior party leaders, BNP chief Khaleda Zia also paid her last tribute to the president at Bangabhaban at 2:10pm. After placing a floral wreath on the coffin, she stood in solemn silence for a while.
She also talked to the bereaved family members of Zillur and consoled them and signed the condolence book opened at Bangabhaban.
Hasina was present when Khaleda went to Bangabhaban. But the two did not talk, witnesses told The Daily Star. The opposition leader left Bangabhaban around 2:25pm. Hasina left the place shortly afterwards.
While leaving Bangabhaban, BNP acting secretary general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the vacuum created by the death of Zillur Rahman could not be easily filled.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim, among other political leaders, also paid rich tributes to the president.
From 3:00pm to 5:00pm, the body was kept on the Bangabhaban ground where people from all walks of lives paid their last tributes.
Many could not pay their homage due to the time constraints.
A car carrying the body left Bangabhaban at 5:30pm for Combined Military Hospital, where the body would be kept.
The president was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital on March 10 with critical lung infections.
Zillur Rahman was born on 9 March 1929 in Bhairab. He took office as the 19th president of Bangladesh on 12 February 2009, after being elected unopposed.
His wife Ivy Rahman died in the 21 August 2004 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in the capital.
The president of Russia, president and prime minister of Singapore, prime minister of Malaysia, foreign minister of Canada, prime minister and foreign minister of Japan, president of Nepal, president and foreign minister of Maldives, king and prime minister of Bhutan, president of Pakistan, president of China, president and foreign minister of Iran and king of Thailand have sent condolence messages at the death of Zillur Rahman.
Besides, the flag was kept at half mast yesterday in Bhutan.
Secretaries general of the OIC, commonwealth and D-8 expressed condolences at the president’s death.
Swedish embassy, Dutch ambassador and country representative of the UN Women in Dhaka also condoled the death.
Meanwhile, the 111 member arms treaty meeting presided by the Australian foreign minister yesterday paid respects to the Bangladesh president in New York by observing two minutes’ silence.
Source: The Daily Star
