Shawdesh Desk:

The third namaz-e-janaza of freedom fighter and former mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka has been held.

The janaza took place in front of BNP’s Naya Paltan central office at 1:30apm on Thursday.

BNP standing committee members, other central leaders and a large number of leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations took part in the janaza.

Later, his fourth namaj-e-janaza will be held at the Dhaka south city corporation head quarters at 3pm and thereafter his body will be taken to his Gopibag residence in old Dhaka.

His final namaj-e-janza will be held at Dhupkhola field and then he will be buried beside his parents at Jurain graveyard of the capital according to his last wish.

Earlier, people from all walks of life thronged the Central Shaheed Minar on Thursday to pay tribute to gallant freedom fighter Sadeque Hossain Khoka, the last mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation.

The mortal remains of the BNP vice-chairman was taken to the Shaheed Minar at 12:10pm after a namaz-e-janaza at the south plaza of Parliament.

It was kept there until 12:50pm before being taken to the BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

The valiant freedom fighter, who had long been suffering from cancer, died at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York on Monday.

His first Namaz-e-Janaza was held at Jamaica Muslim Center, New York on Monday night.

Khoka’s body was brought back home in the morning. BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku received the body at the airport on behalf of the party.

On Monday, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, 67, died in USA. He had long been suffering from cancer. He had been undergoing treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York since October 18 for cancer with some other health complications.

The former mayor left his wife Ismat Ara, daughter Sarika Sadeque, sons Ishraque, Isfaque Hossain and a host of relatives, followers and well-wishers to mourn his death.

Sadeque Hossain Khoka along with his wife went to the USA in 2014 for treatment while the validity of their passports expired in 2017.