Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday paid tribute to party founder and former President Ziaur Rahman on the occasion of his 45th death anniversary.

Tarique Rahman first laid a wreath at Ziaur Rahman’s grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in his capacity as Prime Minister.

He later placed another wreath as BNP Chairman, accompanied by members of the party’s Standing Committee, including Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed and Prof AZM Zahid Hossain.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir received the Prime Minister when he arrived at the grave premises around 11:00am.

Party leaders Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Abdus Salam, Masum Ahmed Talukder, Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib-e-Rashid Habib, Aminul Haque, SM Jahangir, Rafiqul Alam Majnu, Tanveer Ahmed Robin, Shirin Sultana, Sultana Ahmed, Helen Jerin Khan, Arifa Sultana Ruma, Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, Rafiqul Islam, Safiqul Islam Khan and Rafiqul Islam Bacchu, among others, were present.

The BNP chief and senior party leaders observed a brief silence in memory of the party founder.

After placing the wreaths, Tarique Rahman joined a munajat seeking eternal peace for the departed soul of his father late President Ziaur Rahman and mother former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

He later took part in a doa mahfil organised by the Jatiyatabadi Ulema Dal on the grave premises and joined a munajat.

A large number of BNP leaders and activists gathered around the Zia Udyan to mark the anniversary.

BNP and its associate bodies are observing the day through various programmes across the country.

Ziaur Rahman, who founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 1978, was assassinated by a group of Army officers at Chattogram Circuit House on May 30, 1981, while serving as President. BNP observes the day as Zia’s “Shahadat Barshiki.”

As part of the observance, party flags were kept at half-mast and black flags were hoisted at BNP offices across the country, including the party’s Nayapaltan central office and the chairman’s office in Gulshan.

Following the tribute programme, leaders and activists of Dhaka North and South city BNP, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Muktijoddha Dal, Sramik Dal, Krishak Dal, Mohila Dal, Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh, Association of Engineers, Bangladesh, Ulema Dal, and Chhatra Dal also paid homage to Ziaur Rahman.

BNP launched an eight-day programme on May 25, marking the anniversary. A discussion meeting is scheduled to be held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) auditorium on Sunday afternoon.

After paying tribute, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to begin distributing clothes and dry food among poor and destitute people in front of Rajdhani High School on Manik Mia Avenue.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the BNP Chairman will attend food and clothes distribution programmes at 16 locations under Dhaka North and South City Corporations throughout the day.