Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury to be laid to rest today

Prominent journalist, writer and columnist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury will be buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard in the capital today.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying his body is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:00am. His body is being brought from London under state management, said a foreign ministry press release issued yesterday.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque will receive the body at the airport.

Later, the body of Gaffar Chowdhury will be kept at the Central Shaheed Minar from 1:00pm to 3:00pm for people from all walks of life to pay tributes to the lyricist of "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano". A guard of honour will be given to him.

Around 3:30pm, his namaz-e-janaza will be held at the Dhaka University central mosque.

Then his body will be taken to the Jatiya Press Club at 4:00pm where journalists will pay homage.

Later, Gaffar Chowdhury will be buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard around 5:30pm, said the release.

On May 19, the eminent writer and journalist died of a heart attack at a London hospital aged 88.

The British-Bangladeshi community and other admirers paid their last respect to Gaffar Chowdhury after his first namaz-e-janaza was held in London's Brick Lane Mosque the following day.