BNP leaders and activists, led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, placed wreaths at Zia’s Sher-e-Banglanagar grave around 11am.
Later, they offered fateha following a special munajat seeking salvation of the departed soul of Zia.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, and Selima Rahman, vice-chairman Shahjahan Omar, joint secretaries general Mahbubuddin Khokon, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and organising secretary Fazlul Haq Milon were, among others, present there.
Leaders and activists of BNP’s different units and associate bodies also placed wreaths at Zia’s grave.
Talking to reporters after placing wreaths, Fakhrul recalled Zia’s contributions to the country’s Liberation War and building the nation.
He alleged that the current government is repressing BNP leaders and activists by snatching democracy.
Fakhrul said false cases have been filed against around 35 lakh BNP leaders and activists while many of them were killed, made disappeared and repressed.
“We’ve taken a fresh vow today to get rid of such a situation. We must restore democracy and free our leader Khaleda Zia from jail,” he said.
Ziaur Rahman was born on January 19, 1936 at Bagbari in Bogura. He founded BNP in 1978 and became the country’s seventh President. Zia was assassinated by a group of army officers at Chattogram Circuit House on May 30, 1981.
To mark the day, the party hosted its flag atop all of its offices across the country in the morning.
The party arranged a free medical camp at the party’s Nayapaltan central office from 10am to 2pm.
BNP is scheduled to arrange a virtual discussion on Zi’s life and work in the afternoon, in observance of the day.
Swechchasebak Dal will organise a discussion on Zia on Wednesday afternoon at the Supreme Court Bar auditorium.
BNP’s district, city, upazila and thana units are celebrating the birth anniversary with various programmes.
