Awami League stalwart Mohammed Nasim laid to rest at Banani

Mohammed Nasim, Awami League leader and former minister, has been buried at Banani graveyard as people from across the political spectrum gathered to pay their final respects.

After a funeral prayer at Sobhanbag Jame Mosque followed by another at the graveyard, Nasim was laid to rest around 11 am  on Sunday.

The freedom fighter was given a guard of honour after a funeral prayer service in Banani. Flowers were placed on his coffin, draped in the national and Awami League flags, on behalf of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as tribute.

Leaders of the Awami League, the 14-Party Alliance and the ruling party's affiliates paid their final respects to Nasim at the Banani graveyard.

"This is an irretrievable loss for the Awami League and the nation. The party and its President Sheikh Hasina have lost a trusted proponent.  Mohammed Nasim had a distinguished political life," the ruling party's Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak said.

Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, who recently recovered from COVID-19, also went to the graveyard to bid farewell to Nasim.

The 72-year-old Nasim suffered a brain stroke while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. He later died on Saturday while on life support.

The family had initially planned to bury Nasim next to his mother grave but he was eventually laid to rest in a different part of the graveyard, according to his son Tanvir Shakil.

People from across the political spectrum take part in the Namaz-e-Janaza for Awami League leader Mohammed Nasim at Banani graveyard on Sunday.

"We later buried him in a separate spot upon requesting the Dhaka North mayor. As a family, we wanted to keep all the graves in the same area but the cleric also said it's not right to bury too bury many people in one grave. So we buried my father near my uncle Maruf Ahmed's grave."

Born to M Mansur Ali and Amena Mansur in Sirajganj’s Kazipur on Apr 2, 1948, Nasim represented the Sirajganj constituency for the fifth term. His father, Mansur Ali, was one of the four national leaders slain inside Dhaka Central Jail in 1975 after the assassination of founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

People from across the political spectrum take part in the Namaz-e-Janaza for Awami League leader Mohammed Nasim at Banani graveyard on Sunday.Nasim became the post and telecommunication minister when the Awami League returned to power in 1996. Hasina gave her the charge of housing and public works ministry as well the next year.

Leaders and activists gather at the Banani graveyard to pay their final respects to Awami League leader Mohammed Nasim.

After handling both ministries until March 1999, he became the home minister.

Hasina did not keep him in her cabinet after sweeping the 2008 elections, but made him health minister in the next term after the 2014 polls.

Leaders and activists gather at the Banani graveyard to pay their final respects to Awami League leader Mohammed Nasim.Zahid Malik, who had been the state minister for health during Nasim’s stint at the helm, is the health minister now.

A presidium member of the ruling party, Nasim has been working as the coordinator of the 14-Party Coalition led by the Awami League.

One of the key organisers of the 1971 Liberation War and Bangabandhu’s close confidants, Mansur Ali had also served as prime minister after independence.

Nasim became active in politics after the killing of his father.

The first election Nasim won was in 1986 when he was the publicity secretary of the party. He served as the opposition chief whip at the time. He was elected MP in 1996, 2001, 2014 and 2018.

He has also founded a number of educational institutions in Dhaka and Sirajganj.