President Abdul Hamid attended the 2nd namaj-e-janaza of leader of the opposition in Parliament and Jatiya Party chairman HM HM Ershad at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad on Monday. President Abdul Hamid placed a wreath on the coffin of HM Ershad to pay his last tributes, said President’s press secretary Joynal Abedin.
Prior to the namaj-e-janaza there, Ershad’s spouse Begum Rowshan Ershad, his younger brother GM Quader and AL advisory council member Tofail Ahmed spoke there. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzak, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Awami League leaders Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Jatiya Party leaders ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Kazi Feroz Rashid, Anisul Islam Mahmud and senior political leaders from different political parties attended the janaza.
Later his body was taken to the party’s central office at Kakrail to allow Jatiya Party leaders and activists to pay their last tributes. After Asr prayers, the third janaza will be held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The first janaza took place at the Army Central Mosque around 1:45pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, condolence books will be opened at the Jatiya Party Chairman’s Banani office and the party’s Kakrail central office till July 18 between 11am and 4pm, said party chairman’s press and political secretary Sunil Shuvo Roy.
Ershad, a former military strongman and five-time MP, breathed his last at 7:45am on Sunday while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) at the age of 89. His body will be kept at the CMH mortuary. It will be flown to his home district Rangpur on Tuesday where his fourth janaza will be held after Zohr prayers at the Zilla School grounds. He will be laid to rest at the Military Graveyard in Banani the same day. Ershad’s Qulkhwani will be held on Wednesday at Gulshan’s Azad mosque.