Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his newly appointed cabinet members paid their respects to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former chairperson Khaleda Zia on Wednesday. This marked a significant gesture following the recent establishment of a BNP-led government.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the homage began with a visit to the National Memorial in Savar, where the Prime Minister and his cabinet honored the martyrs of the Liberation War. Subsequently, they proceeded to Zia Udyan around noon. In a solemn ceremony, Tarique Rahman placed a wreath at the graves of his parents, followed by his cabinet colleagues who joined him in this tribute.
The day after the formation of the new government, Tarique and his cabinet offered Fateha and a munajat at the graves, seeking salvation for the souls of the late President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Earlier that morning, the Prime Minister and his ministers had paid homage to the Liberation War martyrs.
Tarique Rahman’s ascension to the position of the 11th Prime Minister came after a notable victory for his party, which secured 209 out of 297 seats in the recent 13th parliamentary election held on February 12. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Prime Minister and his ministers at the South Plaza of Parliament on Tuesday.
The new cabinet includes 25 ministers and 24 state ministers, with a notable presence of new faces. Tarique Rahman, after his oath, made a personal visit to his parents’ graves on Tuesday night to offer fateha. Later, he is set to chair the first cabinet meeting of the newly formed government at the Secretariat and meet senior administrative officials, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.