A smiling Khaleda Zia, chairperson of BNP, cuts a cake celebrating her 66th birthday amidst party leaders, including Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, at her Gulshan office in the city early hours of yesterday. Photo: BNP

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia celebrated her 66th birthday by cutting cakes and exchanging greetings with her party colleagues at her Gulshan office in the early hours of yesterday.
A smiling Khaleda, surrounded by a group of enthusiastic leaders, including Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, cut four cakes around 12:30am on the occasion of her birthday.
Party's Dhaka city unit, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal and Jatiyatabadi Swecchasebok Dal presented these cakes, including a 66-pound cake, to celebrate her birthday.
Leaders of the party and its front and associate bodies clapped during cutting the cakes by the chairperson and greeted her by presenting flowers.
Meanwhile, BNP celebrated its chairperson's birthday by cutting a cake at the party's central office in Nayapaltan at 12:01am. Party leaders and workers held a special prayer seeking a long life of the chairperson.
Party Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, among others, was present at the party office.
Talking to reporters, Delwar said Khaleda's birthday should not be consider from a political point of view. “Only Allah controls death and birth and that is why the chairperson's birthday should not be consider politically,” he said while drawing attention to the celebration of birthday while nation observes the National Mourning Day.
Earlier, the ruling party leaders urged Khaleda, also leader of the opposition, not to observe birthday on August 15, as it is the National Mourning Day.
Khaleda has started to observe her birthday on August 15 during BNP regime from 1991-96.
According to Khaleda's marriage certificate, her birthday is September 5, 1945 and in her first passport it is Aug 19, 1946. She put Aug 9, 1944 as her birthday for registration in the matriculation examinations.