The helicopter carrying Jalil’s body landed at Naogaon Stadium at around 2 PM, which took off from South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban after the third Namaj-e-Janaja was held at the premise.
Relatives of the deceased, local AL leaders and officials of local administration waiting for his arrival, recieved the the body and accompanied it to his residence at Chakdebpara in the town.
The veteran leader was set to be buried in their family graveyard after holding two times Janaja following ‘Asr’ prayer.
The first ‘Janaja’ of Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the Macentile Bank, was held at the bank premise and the secend at the Awami League office at Bangabandhu Avenue. AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and other party leaders took part in his ‘Janaja’. His body was wrapped by the party flag after it reached the office premises.
Then it was taken to South Palaza and paid state honour.
President Jillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad Advocate Abdul Hamid paid their respects to this veteran politician there.
Tributes were also paid on behalf of Jatiya Party chairman Hossein Mohammad Ershad and members of the opposition parties.
AL advisory council member Tofael Ahmed, after the Janajaa at Jatiya Sangsad, said, “Awami League has given much to him (Jalil). He also served much for the party. But, he suffered much pain and agony at the end of his life.”
Echoing Tofael, Ersahd said, he should be honoured in a better way.
Another AL advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu said, “We have lost a fighter for liberation.”
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Hasanul Huq Inu said, “He contributed much in constituting the 14-parties alliance.”
Abdul Jalil MP passed away at a Singapore hospital on Wednesday, he was 72.
He had been undergoing treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital for cardiac ailment.
The Chairman of Mercantile Bank, Jalil had earlier undergone three bypass surgeries.
He was made the Awami League General Secretary at the party’s 19th council in Dec 2002. He also served the last Awami League government as the Commerce Minister under the technocrat quota.
In September 2009, during a visit to London, he ranted against Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, her picks in the Cabinet and party, and the general elections, but a week later, he said 'sorry' for shooting his mouth off.
The remarks he had made with a London-based ethnic TV station whipped up waves of anger and he was assaulted hours later by activists of the party’s youth wing Juba League in Birmingham.
In his defence, the disgruntled MP said he still suffered from the trauma caused by torture by the military intelligence DGFI during his detention at the time of the 2007-08 caretaker government and blamed the mental state for the testy remarks.
After his release, he was not reinstated as the General Secretary of the party.
Jalil was elected MP from Naogaon-5 in national election held in 1973, 1986, 2001 and 2008.
