Party supporters and general people from across the country came to the capital on Wednesday to attend the namaz-e-janaza of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, recalling her long struggle for democracy.
They wished she could survive for a bit longer to see the upcoming national elections and the restoration of democracy.
Abdus Sobhan Fokir, 70, came from Patuakhali.
He runs a small business and often visits Dhaka for that purpose.
This time, he came to say goodbye to the only leader he had "followed".
He said "a sea of people" had attended the namaz-e-janaza.
As an elderly man, he made attempts for several hours to reach the main venue at the Manik Mia Avenue.
However, he failed and then joined the prayers across the Bangladesh Military Museum at Bijoy Sarani.
He said the surrounding areas had already been occupied an hour ahead of the prayer schedule.
"I voted for Khaleda every time I got the opportunity. She was one of us. She fought for us and our rights. But we could not do anything for her when she was in jail during the Sheikh Hasina government," said Sobhan.
Addressing the huge gathering, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said fascist Sheikh Hasina would never be freed from the responsibility of the BNP chairperson's death.
"The entire country is a witness. She [Khaleda] entered the prison on foot but came out with extreme illness. According to doctors from home and abroad, her illness worsened during four years of house arrest for not being given the opportunity to receive treatment outside the country. Therefore, fascist Hasina will never be freed from the responsibility of this death," he said.
Echoing the BNP leader, Sobhan said, "If she [Khaleda] received proper treatment, she may not have endured this pain before her death."
Standing nearby, another BNP supporter Sirajul Islam said Khaleda was a guardian for almost all political parties that had joined the movement for establishing democracy in the country.
"She was a guardian of Bangladesh in her last days, especially after the 2024 July-August uprising. Her absence will create a vacuum. All the parties in the country respect her and became united today in her honour," he told The Financial Express.
He said the upcoming elections would not be affected as Khaleda's son Tarique Rahman had returned home and shouldered the responsibility of the party.
Rifat Khan, Chhatra Dal vice president of the Shahjalal Government College unit in Habiganj, told The Financial Express some 200 people of his upazila had come to Dhaka a day earlier to attend the namaz-e-janaza.
He said regardless of their political affiliations, people loved Khaleda, which was why thousands joined the last prayers.
"People do not attend such prayers if they do not truly love and respect a person. People of all walks of life and all political affiliations joined today," he continued.
He said the only matter of sadness was that Khaleda could not survive to see the restoration of democracy she had fought for.
Md Faizullah, who is in his late 70s, came with his younger son from Dhaka's Banani area.
"I love and endorse the leadership and ideology of the late president Ziaur Rahman. I am not an active supporter of BNP now, but I have respect for Khaleda because of how she had fought in the last 15 years against Sheikh Hasina's brutal government and also her role in the movement against military ruler HM Ershad," he said.
That was how she earned the title of an "uncompromising leader", he said, adding that he could only imagine such a massive presence of supporters at the namaz-e-janaza of Ziaur Rahman.
Shahidul Islam from Rupganj of Narayanganj told The Financial Express several hundred people had come from his town under the arrangement of local BNP leaders.
He said he had never seen such love for a leader.
"It is good that Tarique has returned home. Otherwise, the absence of the national guardian would have had negative impacts on the country," he said.
Khaleda died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness.
Her supporters blamed ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina for not providing her with proper treatment during her jail term.
The octogenarian, who transformed herself into a revered political leader through struggles since her husband's assassination, had been suffering from various complications, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney problems, for a long time.
She was sentenced to prison in two cases during the Awami League government and remained imprisoned for more than two years.
The BNP leader was not allowed to go abroad for treatment despite severe health complications and requests from her doctors.
She was released after Hasina flew to India on August 5, 2024, in the face of a student-led uprising that overthrew the Awami League government.
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