Tears pool in Tarique’s eyes as he prays at father’s grave

He pays homage at his father’s grave for the first time since 2006

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has paid a floral tribute at the grave of his father and party founder Ziaur Rahman after returning to Bangladesh following more than 17 years in exile.

He arrived at the mausoleum of former president Ziaur Rahman in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday afternoon with senior party leaders, offering flowers and taking part in prayers.

After the prayer, he spent some time standing alone by the grave, where he was seen wiping his eyes.

Tarique reaches the mausoleum around 4:45pm, accompanied by members of the BNP Standing Committee. With this visit, he pays homage at his father’s grave after 19 years, the last time being in 2006.

After the joint prayers, Tarique stood by the grave alone for a while, reciting Surah Fatiha and Durud before offering a private prayer.

At 5:04pm, he left the site by bus for the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar, where he was scheduled to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War.

Earlier, at 2:52pm, Tarique’s motorcade left his Gulshan residence for Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

He travelled in the same bulletproof bus used during his journey from the airport the day before. Standing at the front of the bus decorated in red and green, he waved to supporters along the way.

Due to heavy crowds surrounding the bus, the 8km journey took nearly two hours. Tarique got off the bus at 4:36pm and walked to the mausoleum.