Tarique Rahman Visits Martyr Ziaur Rahman’s Grave After 19 Years

Tarique Rahman on Friday visited the grave of his father, Ziaur Rahman, founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), at Zia Udyan in Dhaka nearly 19 years after his last visit in 2006.

Arriving at the mausoleum around 4:45pm, Tarique Rahman was accompanied by senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Selima Rahman, and Hafiz Uddin Ahmed. He placed floral wreaths and offered prayers, visibly emotional as he wiped tears during a quiet moment at the grave.

A day after returning home following 17 years of exile in the United Kingdom, the visit marked a deeply personal moment for Tarique Rahman, who was 16 years old when his father was assassinated in 1981. He also lost his younger brother, Arafat Rahman Koko, in 2015 while in exile.

Ahead of the visit, Mirza Fakhrul told reporters that Tarique Rahman’s return had rekindled hope among the people, calling it a moment of inspiration for the nation. From early morning, party leaders and supporters gathered at Zia Udyan, with strict security measures in place.

Tarique Rahman’s motorcade departed his Gulshan residence at 2:52pm, traveling in a bulletproof bus decorated in red and green. Due to massive crowds lining the route, the eight-kilometre journey took nearly two hours. He disembarked at 4:36pm and walked to the mausoleum amid tight security.

Later, Tarique Rahman proceeded to the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar to pay tribute to the Liberation War martyrs. While protocol prevented him from reaching the altar before sunset, party leaders offered homage on his behalf earlier, and he arrived at the memorial around 9:00pm.

Returning to Bangladesh 15 months after the Awami League was ousted following a student-led mass uprising, Tarique Rahman received a massive public reception along the July Expressway in Purbachal. He later visited Evercare Hospital to see his mother, former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and spent the night at his Gulshan residence.

According to party leaders, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to complete voter registration at the Election Commission building in Agargaon on Saturday and later pay respects at the grave of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in the Dhaka University area.