After almost seven years, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has visited the grave of her late husband and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), former President Ziaur Rahman.
At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, she arrived at Ziaur Rahman’s mausoleum in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Accompanying her were Nasrin Iskander, wife of the late Saeed Iskander, and Kaniz Fatema, wife of Shamim Iskander.
BNP Standing Committee member and Khaleda Zia’s personal physician Dr. A. Z. M. Zahid Hossain said, “Madam expressed her wish to visit the grave of the martyred President Ziaur Rahman tonight.”
Khaleda Zia left her Gulshan residence, Firoza, in a blue private car bearing the BNP flag. Upon arriving at the grave, she offered prayers while sitting inside the vehicle.
The last time Khaleda Zia visited her husband’s grave was in February 2018, just before her arrest. Since then, due to imprisonment, illness, and a long period of political inactivity, she had been unable to go.
Her unexpected visit is being seen as politically significant in the current context.