In coffin, a mother's first-ever visit to her son's home
Khaleda finally visited her son’s new home on Wednesday morning in Gulshan – but in a coffin draped in the national flag of Bangladesh, as her eternal journey had already begun the previous day
Like any other mother, Khaleda Zia too wanted to see her son Tarique Rahman live in his own home, one in which he would live with his wife and daughter, and one where she could visit as well.
After 17 years in exile, Tarique finally returned to his new home in Dhaka's Gulshan a week ago. But Khaleda could not visit him at his home at the time as she was battling for her life in a hospital bed.
And like any other son, Tarique too wanted his mother to visit and stay at his house located near "Firoza", Khaleda's own residence in Gulshan.
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Staying in the hospital for more than a month, she finally visited her son's new home on Wednesday morning — but in a coffin draped in the national flag of Bangladesh for a brief stay of less than two hours, as her eternal journey had already begun the previous day.
On 23 November, when she left Firoza for Evercare Hospital in critical condition, she was in the prayers of millions for her return home again. But God thought otherwise. Her shuttling between home and hospital for months came to an end on Tuesday morning.
The vehicle carrying her coffin left the hospital at 8:34am. Initially, plans were to take the hearse to her longtime Gulshan residence. However, it was brought directly to Tarique Rahman's house instead at around 9:17am. Tarique was seen reciting from the Holy Quran sitting beside her coffin, while family members and leaders and activists of the BNP paid their final tributes to Khaleda Zia there.
A motorcade carrying her coffin left Tarique Rahman's Gulshan residence with state protocol at around 11am. It arrived at the National Parliament grounds at the capital's Manik Mia Avenue at 11:48am — the area had already turned into a sea of people for her funeral prayers.
A nation in mourning stood in solemn ambience keeping her coffin in front, bidding farewell to Khaleda Zia, who championed the causes of democracy and fought against authoritarian rule.
Forty-five years ago, on 2 June 1981, Manik Mia Avenue had turned into a human sea to bid farewell to then president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated by a group of military officers at Chattogram on the previous day.
Amid the sea of mourners, Khaleda Zia was pictured that day breaking down into tears in front of the coffin of her husband. She was just a housewife then and kept a low profile and seemed to take little interest in public life.
Today, the sea of mourners showed their last respect to an extraordinarily different version of Khaleda Zia, who rose to prominence and became one of the dominant leaders of Bangladesh in the past four decades of national politics.
As his younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko died of a heart attack in 2015, today, Tarique Rahman, who was not in Bangladesh to bid farewell to his brother, felt alone in the sea of people in mourning who stood by him.
Khaleda Zia was laid to eternal rest beside her husband Ziaur Rahman's grave at Zia Udyan in the city, leaving behind her legacy for standing up for rights against all odds.
After the funeral prayers, with a heavy heart, Tarique returned to his home at House No 196 in Gulshan. Khaleda's visit to this residence in a coffin will remain her first and last there.
When Tarique was forced to leave the country in 2008, 17 years ago, he, with his wife and daughter, lived with Khaleda Zia at her residence at 6 Shaheed Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment. But Khaleda Zia was evicted from her residence in November 2010 as the Sheikh Hasina government cancelled the lease of the house, which had been her home for nearly 40 years, citing various irregularities. After being evicted from the cantonment residence, Khaleda had made Firoza her home. But Tarique never got the opportunity to see her or stay with her at Firoza.
On his return from London, Tarique visited his ailing mother at the hospital before he moved into his new residence. This house in Gulshan is not just a residence; it is part of the political history of the Zia family. After President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated, the then government allocated this house to Khaleda Zia. Recently, the ownership deed of the house was formally handed over to the BNP chairperson.
Today, Tarique returned to his residence after bidding farewell to his mother. His life will no longer be the same. It has changed forever in less than a week since he returned to his homeland.
