Ziauddin Bablu passes away
Jatiya Party Secretary General, and former MP and minister Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu died yesterday at a city hospital.
He was 67.
Infected with Covid-19 in August, Bablu was undergoing treatment at the Bangladesh Specialized Hospital. He died at 9:12am, JP said in a press release.
He is survived by his wife, a son, and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his demise.
Bablu was elected MP from Chattogram-9 in the 2014 Jatiya Sangsad election.
Born in Chattogram on December 31, 1954, Bablu completed his HSC from Notre Dame College in Dhaka. He also obtained Bachelor's in Arts, Master's in English Literature and another Bachelor's in Law from Dhaka University.
Active in student politics from a young age, he served as the general secretary of DU's English Departmental Association from 1974 to 1975.
From 1979 to 1983, he was a member of the Dhaka University Senate. From 1981 to 1983, he was the General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League (Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal).
During that time, he also served as the general secretary of Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU).
From 1988 to 1990, Bablu was the cabinet minister of power and energy during the Ershad regime.
As he was known as a JP leader who sympathised with Awami League, he also served as an advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from 2013 to 2014 with the rank and status of a cabinet minister.
Bablu was first elected a member of parliament in 1988 from the Chittagong-7 constituency and was later elected MP from Chittagong-9 in 2014.
He was also appointed special assistant to late Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad.
Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu was in the good books of AL leaders, party insiders said.
But recently, he became vocal against the ruling AL's oppression, absence of rule of law and governance issues, they added.
He was with among other few leaders who played vital role to convince Ershad to participate in the national election in 2014 where more than half of the MPs were elected unopposed.
Ershad first appointed him as the party's secretary general in 2014 but removed him from the post in 2016.
In 2020, Bablu was made JP secretary general again Moshiur Rahman Ranga was removed from the post.
The JP made the change in a sudden move "to appease the government" as Ranga was vocal against their activities, party sources said.
His first wife Farida Sarkar died in 2005 from cancer. They had a son.
In April 2017, Bablu married Dr Mehe Zebunnesa Rahman, a relative of HM Ershad.
President M Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, different ministers, state ministers, BNP Secretary General Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, JP Chairman GM Quader, different distinguished personalities and organisations in separate messages expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Bablu.
In separate condolence messages, PM Hasina and the President prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathies to the bereaved family, reports BSS.
Bablu's body was taken to the JP central office in the capital's Kakrail in the afternoon for party leaders and activists to pay their final respect.
His namaz-e-janaza was held at the Gulshan Azad mosque after Esha prayer. He was laid to rest at the Mirpur martyred intellectual grave.
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