Hannan Shah passes away
BNP standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah passed away yesterday at a hospital in Singapore. He was 75.
“My father breathed his last at 5:37am Singapore time [3:37am Bangladesh standard time] at Raffles Heart Centre while undergoing treatment for cardiovascular diseases,” said his elder son Rezaul Hannan.
The veteran politician is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
President Abdul Hamid expressed deep shock at the death of the former minister.
In a condolence message, he prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also expressed deep condolences over the death of their party colleague.
The BNP announced a four-day mourning programme till September 30 and directed party men to fly party flag at half-mast atop the party offices across the country.
Hannan was vocal in 2007 after the 1/11 political changeover by taking a strong position in favour of Khaleda to prevent the party's split by a group of reformist leaders. He also criticised several decisions of the then caretaker government.
He recently lambasted the BNP high-ups over forming the fresh executive committee and said many loyal and dedicated leaders did not get position as the top leaders did not talk with senior leaders like him.
On September 6, Hannan Shah complained of chest pain at his Mohakhali DOHS residence and was taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka. After that he was flown to Singapore on September 11 for better treatment, Rezaul added.
He said his father's body was scheduled to arrive in the country by 6:00pm today.
His first namaj-e-janaza was held in Singapore. The second one will be held in the city's Mohakhali DOHS mosque around 10:00am tomorrow, the third one at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad around 11:30am and the fourth one in front of party's central office after Zohr prayers, said a press release.
Hannan Shah's body will be taken to Gazipur on Friday. Three more namaj-e-janazas would be held there before his burial at the family graveyard in Kapasia.
He was born in Kapasia's Ghagtia in 1941. His father Fakir Abdul Mannan was a minister of the Pakistan government in 1965-68.
Hannan Shah was commissioned in the Bangladesh Army in 1962 and retired in 1981 as a brigadier general, said Reza.
He joined BNP in 1983 and was made Dhaka city unit's joint convener. He was inducted into the cabinet when BNP came to power in 1991 as the jute minister. He was made a party standing committee member in its fifth council in 2009 and in its sixth council this year as well.
He was elected MP twice from the Gazipur-4 constituency.
Comments