Shawdesh desk:

The body of BNP standing committee member and noted lawyer Moudud Ahmed will be brought back home from Singapore on Thursday evening.

“All the necessary formalities have been completed to bring back sir’s (Moudud’s) body to the country from Singapore by a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines,” said the late BNP leader’s personal assistant Mominur Rahman Sujon.

He said a flight of Biman carrying Moudud’s mortal remains is scheduled to leave Singapore at 3:50pm today.

Upon arrival, Sujon said, the body will be taken to the mortuary of United Hospital.

His body will be then taken to the Central Shaheed Minar and kept there from 9:00 am to 10:00 am on Friday as people of all walks of life can pay their last tributes to the late politician, BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sairul Kabir Khan said.

He said Moudud’s first namaz-e-janaza will be held on the High Court premises at 10am on Friday while the second one will take place in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office at 11am.

Another janaza for the former six-time MP may be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament, subject to the Speaker’s permission, he added.

Later, Moudud’s body will be taken to his village home in Noakhali’s Companiganj upazila.

He will be buried at his family graveyard after his final Jazana at Bashurhat Government Mujib College after Asr prayers, Sujon said.

Moudud Ahmed died at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore around 6:30pm on Tuesday, at the age of 81.

The BNP leader had serious kidney complications and was struggling to get oxygen due to lung congestion.

The veteran politician was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for advanced treatment on February 1.

Moudud Ahmed is one of the founding members of BNP. He joined Jatiya Party in 1985 and served as prime minister and vice president in military ruler HM Ershad’s government.

After the fall of Ershad, Moudud returned to BNP in 1996 and was made law minister in Khaleda Zia’s government in 2001.

He also served as the first post master general of Bangladesh after independence.

He was elected MP five times from Noakhali-5 seat and once from the Bogura-6 constituency.