“Bangladesh as a whole is my family,” said Tarique Rahman

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said that the immense outpouring of love from people across the country has helped him cope with the profound loss of a loved one, making him feel that the entire nation has become his family.

In a post on his verified Facebook page at 10:00am on Thursday, Tarique Rahman wrote: “Amid deep grief and heartfelt gratitude, I have laid my beloved mother—my first teacher in life and three-time Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia—to eternal rest beside my father, martyred President Ziaur Rahman. The void created by her absence is beyond words.”

“Yet, at this most difficult moment, the overwhelming presence of the people of this country did not let me feel alone,” he added.

He said he was deeply touched by the love and respect shown by countless party leaders and activists, well-wishers, family members, and citizens.

“The way millions of people came forward to pay their respects, express their affection, and stand with us during this painful time once again reminded me that she was not only my mother; in many ways, she was the mother of the nation,” he wrote.

Expressing his gratitude, Tarique Rahman also said that senior representatives from several South Asian countries, along with global diplomats and development partners, personally attended to pay their respects, for which he conveyed his sincere appreciation.