MK Anwar passes away

BNP Standing Committee Member MK Anwar passed away at his residence in Dhaka early yesterday. He was 86.

He breathed his last around 1:30am at his residence on Elephant Road.

The bureaucrat-turned politician had long been suffering from diabetes, heart disease and various old age complications.

The veteran BNP leader left behind two sons and one daughter to mourn his death.

His first namaj-e-janaza was held at Kataban Mosque in the capital and the second janaza was held around 12noon at BNP's Nayapaltan headquarters. Several thousand party leaders and activists joined the janaza.

Later his third namaz-e-janaza was held around 1:30pm at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Chief Whip ASM Feroz and BNP leaders were present.

After the namaz-e-janaza, his body was kept at the mortuary of Birdem Hospital in Dhaka.

The former minister's body would be taken to his home district Comilla today and his fourth namaz-e-janaza would be held in Titas upazila after Zohr prayers. His last janaza would be held in Homna upazila after Asr prayers.

He will be buried in his family graveyard in Homna today.

Born on January 1, 1933 in Khulna, MK Anwar joined government service in 1953 as an officer of Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP). He served in different important posts during the regime of the then Pakistan and Bangladesh. He took retirement after serving as the topmost civil service post cabinet secretary on December 30, 1990.

He joined BNP in January 1991.

He was elected lawmaker for five times and became minister twice.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep condolence at the death of MK Anwar.