Zia's birth anniv today

The 90th birth anniversary of martyred president Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, revered as the architect of multiparty democracy and also founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will be celebrated today.

Ziaur Rahman, also the proclaimer of Bangladesh's independence and an architect of modern Bangladesh, was born on January 19, 1936 in Bagbari village under Nashipur Union in Gabtoli of Bogura district, reports BSS.

He was the second of five sons of Chemist Mansur Rahman and Jahanara Khatun. His nickname was Kamol.

On the eventful November 7th in 1975, Ziaur Rahman took the helm of state power amid a sepoy-people uprising.

President Ziaur Rahman founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on September 1, 1978. The former president was assassinated by a group of misguided army personnel on May 30, 1981 in Chattogram.

The party will observe the birthday of its founder with a two-day programme beginning today.

Marking the anniversary, party flags will be hoisted at the central office and all party offices nationwide at dawn.

Party leaders and activists from all levels, along with members of the BNP National Standing Committee, will lay wreaths and offer 'Fatiha' at the mausoleum of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area at 11:00am.

Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB) will organise a medical camp to mark the birth anniversary.

A discussion will be held at 11:00 am on January 20 at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) auditorium in the capital's Kakrail area. Senior BNP leaders and prominent national figures will join the meet.

Simultaneously, discussion meetings and 'dua mahfils' will be organised by BNP and its associate bodies and front organisations at district, metropolitan, upazila, and thana levels across the country.

Posters have been prepared while special supplements will be published in various national dailies to mark the occasion.

Ziaur Rahman, the commander of "Z Force" and Sector-1 during the country's War of Liberation, who later emerged as a seasoned and popular statesman, will be remembered with due respect for his historic and unforgettable contribution.

"His uncompromised patriotism, steadfast commitment to democratic norms and values and profound love and respect for the country and its people endeared him to the nation, elevating him to a truly beloved and iconic figure," says the news agency.

His leadership shaped the nation's political destiny.

He spent his childhood in Kolkata, where his father, Mansur Rahman, served as a scientific officer of the then British government. He studied up to class seven at Hare School, one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions, located at 87 College Street in Kolkata and founded by renowned educational reformer David Hare.

After the 1947 Partition, Ziaur Rahman moved to Karachi with his family, where he continued his studies at DJ Sindh Government Science College, a historic institution, established in 1887.

While studying at the college, he joined the Pakistan Military Academy as an officer cadet in 1953 and received commando training as a second lieutenant in 1955.

Ziaur Rahman joined the second batch of the East Bengal Regiment at Joydebpur Sub-Cantonment, near Dhaka, as second-in-command in April 1967 and the same year, he proceeded to West Germany for advanced military training.