Bangladesh Nationalist Party is set to celebrate its 46th founding anniversary across the country on Sunday with limited programmes.
While the party is in high spirits this year, buoyed by the fall of its long-time rival the Awami League after nearly 16 years, BNP has chosen to mark its founding anniversary in a limited manner.
The party has shortened its previously announced elaborate programmes due to the severe flood, affecting the country鈥檚 eastern region.
Under the revised programme, the BNP will observe the day with traditional activities, including hoisting the party flag at Nayapaltan central office and party offices nationwide Sunday morning. The observance will also feature offering fatiha and placing wreaths at the grave of the party鈥檚 founder Ziaur Rahman in the capital.
The leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies, led by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, will place wreaths and offer special prayers at the grave of Ziaur Rahman at 11:00am.
The party will arrange a milad mahfil at its Nayapaltan office in the afternoon, seeking divine blessings for those affected by the flood, for those who were killed and injured in the recent student-led mass movement, and for the swift recovery of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
At a recent meeting, the BNP鈥檚 standing committee cancelled the five-day programmes and allocated the funds intended for these events to the party鈥檚 relief fund. This fund will be used to assist the flood victims.
BNP鈥檚 associate bodies and all their units across the country will mark the day with due respect by holding milad mahfil, discussions and distributing relief in the flood-hit areas.
On September 1, 1978, Ziaur Rahman founded the party with a 19-point programme to build a self-reliant Bangladesh.
In its 45-year journey, the BNP had been in power four times and on the opposition bench twice. BNP has been out of power for nearly 18 years since the 1/11 political changeover.
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in separate messages congratulated the people of the country, party leaders, workers and well-wishers on the occasion.