Today, 19 January, is the 90th birth anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman. He was born on this day in 1936 in Bagmara village of Gabtali upazila in Bogura.
Ziaur Rahman rose to the centre of state power through the soldiers’ and people’s uprising of 7 November 1975. He founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on 1 September 1978, and the party he established went on to assume state power three times.
To mark the birth anniversary of the party founder, BNP will begin the day’s programmes early on Monday by hoisting the national and party flags at all party offices.
Discussion meetings and prayer programmes will be organised by the BNP and its affiliated bodies in all districts, metropolitan areas, upazilas, thanas and various units, depending on local convenience.
At 11am, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with senior party leaders, will place wreaths at Ziaur Rahman’s grave to pay their respects and offer fateha there. On Tuesday at 11am, a discussion meeting will be held at the multipurpose auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, in Kakrail. Senior
BNP leaders and prominent figures from across the country will speak at the meeting. Party Chairman Tarique Rahman may attend the programme as the chief guest. In addition, the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) has taken several initiatives to mark the birth anniversary, including organising a medical camp on the day.
Meanwhile, separate messages have been issued on the occasion by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. In their messages, they said:
“Shaheed Zia was a visionary statesman. On the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of the proclaimer of the great Independence, the introducer of multi-party democracy, the commander of Z Force during the Liberation War, the pioneer of Bangladeshi nationalist ideology, and the great statesman of rare calibre Shaheed Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, we pay our deepest respect to him and pray for the salvation of his soul.
Ziaur Rahman was awarded the title of Bir Uttam for his bravery in the Liberation War. Throughout his life, he served as a guiding force in overcoming every national crisis. As a war commander, Ziaur Rahman was widely admired and respected by the people.
“On 25 March 1971, he organised armed resistance against the brutal genocide carried out by the occupying forces. On 26 March, from the Kalurghat radio station in Chattogram, Zia declared Bangladesh’s independence. After proclaiming independence, he plunged into the Liberation War and fought with extraordinary bravery for nine long months for the liberation of the motherland.
“In the post-independence period, when the ruling quarters suppressed freedom of speech and expression, buried democracy, and pushed the country into the grip of a devastating famine—earning Bangladesh the label of a ‘bottomless basket’—Shaheed Zia emerged at the centre of state power through the historic soldiers’ and people’s uprising of 7 November.
Although he began his career as a soldier, a defining feature of his life was that he repeatedly appeared as a saviour in times of national crisis. Upon assuming power, he restored economic and social justice, press freedom, and firmly re-established multi-party democracy on a strong foundation.”
