Former Finance Minister and BNP standing committee member, M Saifur Rahman, who was killed in a road mishap on Saturday, will be laid to rest today (Monday) at his village home at Baharmardan in Moulvibazar district. The body of the veteran politician will be flown by a special flight of the GMG Airlines to his village home at Baharmardan in Moulvibazar district and will be laid to rest at his family graveyard beside his wife's grave there.

The first Namaj-e-Janaza of Saifur Rahman was held at the Gulshan Azad Mosque at 11.05am and the second one was held at the BNP's central office at Naya Paltan at 12.35pm. His third namaj-e-janaza was held at the south plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban at 2-45 in the afternoon yesterday. Earlier, in the morning when his body was taken to BNP's central party office at Naya Paltan in the city, thousands of people from all walks of life, particularly leaders and workers of BNP, gathered there to pay homage to their beloved leader.

Besides, leaders of different political parties and socio-cultural organisations also took part in his Namaj-e-Janaza. They bade farewell in tears to the veteran politician who was killed in a tragic road mishap. BNP leaders gathered on the premises of the party's central office, where the air was thick with grief. Meanwhile, BNP announced a three-day mourning programme to pay tribute to their leader, with the party flag hoisted at half-mast and black flag at the party's central office in Naya Paltan in the city.

The party also opened a condolence book for paying homage to the memory of M Saifur Rahman at the party chairperson's Gulshan office. Foreign diplomats signed the condolence book between 5 pm and 9 pm. The condolence book for paying rich tribute by the people from all walks of life to the late veteran politician will remain open today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10am to 9pm. BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition in parliament Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday discussed with the relatives of Saifur Rahman funeral arrangements at their Gulshan residence. Late Saifur Rahman's eldest son Naser Rahman, who went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, returned to Dhaka in the morning yesterday.

Former Presidents of the country Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Abdur Rahman Biswas, BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain, joint secretaries general Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan, Abdullah-al-Noman, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Major MA Hafiz (Retd), Awami League acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Barrister Rafique-ul-Huq, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Moulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, assistant secretary general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Saleh Uddin Ahmed, and president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Annisul Huq, among others, took part in the namaj-e-janaza.

The third namaj-e-janaja was held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad at around 2:45 in the afternoon. Hundreds of people from all walks of life including BNP leaders and activists, ministers, and ruling party and opposition lawmakers attended the janaja. Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid, deputy speaker Shawkat Ali, chief whip Vice-principal Abdus Shahid, finance minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith, industries minister Dilip Barua, state minister for home affairs Advocate Shamsul Huque Tuku, former Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar, opposition chief whip Joynal Abedin Farrouque, ruling party MP Tofail Ahmed, opposition MP Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, former adviser to the caretaker government Dr Mirza Azizul Islam, chief election commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda, Dhaka city mayor Sadek Hussain Khoka, among others, attended the namaj-e-janaza.

The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker paid homage to the former finance minister by placing flowers on his coffin on behalf of parliament. State minister for LGRD and cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak placed a wreath on behalf of the ruling party Awami League and former Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar and opposition chief whip Joynal Abedin Farrouque placed a flower bouquet on behalf of opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia on the coffin of late Saifur Rahman. Pesh Imam of the Jatiya Sangsad mosque Moulana Ibrahim conducted the Janaza. Prior to the Namaj-e-Janaza Saifur Rahman's eldest son Naser Rahman appealed to the people present at the janaza to pray for eternal peace of the departed soul.

-The Independent

Thousands attend Saifur’s
namaz-e-janaza

The New Age: Thousands of people and opposition BNP activists paid tributes to Saifur Rahman, the country’s longest-serving finance minister who died in a road accident on Saturday, at three funeral prayers held in Dhaka on Sunday. People filed past Saifur’s coffin at the BNP’s central office at Naya Paltan and paid their respect to the leader who was picked by the party’s founder, the late president Ziaur Rahman, into his advisory council 1976.

There was no room to move about in front of the BNP office when the van carrying the coffin reached there. Party leaders draped the coffin with the party flag. Leaders of other political party’s also attended the namaz-e-janaza which began at around 12:40pm. Rows of prayers tailed back to the Fakirapool crossing from the BNP office. After the funeral prayer, the party’s secretary general Khadnaker Delwar placed wreaths on the coffin on behalf of the party. He was followed by the party’s units and associate bodies.

Former president Abdur Rahman Bishwas, BNP standing committee members Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain and Khandkar Mahbubuddin Ahmed, vice-chairman Altaf Hossain Chowhdury, joint secretaries general Abdullah Al Noman, Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan, central leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury and Barkatullah Bulu attended the prayer. Saifur’s eldest son Naser Rahman, in an emotion-choked voice, told the crowd before the prayer, ‘I urge you to forgive my father if he committed any mistakes.’ After the prayers at BNP office, the coffin was taken to the South Plaza of the National Assembly building for another namaz-e-janaza where the speaker, deputy speaker and lawmakers paid tributes to Saifur, who was elected lawmaker four times.

The parliament speaker, Abdul Hamid, and the deputy speaker, Shawkat Ali, placed wreaths on the coffin. The state minister for LGRD and cooperatives, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, on behalf of the ruling Awami League placed another wreath on the coffin. The finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Jatiya Sangsad chief whip Abdush Shahid, opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, Awami League advisory council member Tofail Ahmed, finance adviser to immediate-past caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam, BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda and Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka also attended.

Saifur’s first janaza was held at the Gushan Azad mosque which the family, friends, politicians and diplomats attended. Former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, Jamaat-e-Islami amir Matiur Rahman Nizami, Jatiya Party leader Sheikh Shahidul Islam, former Bangladesh Bank governor Salahuddin Ahmed, economist Rehman Sobhan, jurist Rafiqul Huq, FBCCI president Annisul Huq, senior and retired bureaucrats, and leading businessmen also attended. The BNP began a three-day mourning programme to pay tributes, with the party flag hoisted at half-mast and black flag at the party’s central office at Naya Paltan.

A condolence book has also been opened at the party chairperson’s office at Gulshan. Local units of the party will be holding prayer sessions across the country for the three days. Foreign diplomats signed the condolence book at around 5:00pm and the book will be kept open for the common people between 10:00am and 5:00pm today and tomorrow. Saifur will be buried in his family graveyard at Bahar Mardan in Moulvibazar this afternoon. Two more funeral prayers will be held at the Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet and in the Moulvibazar Government High School ground. Saifur was killed in a road accident in Brahmanbaria on Saturday on his way to Dhaka from Moulvibazar as his car fell into a ditch at Khariyala of Ashuganj on the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway. He was immediately taken to Brahmanbaria General Hospital where physicians pronounced him dead. He was 77.