WORLD
Bangladesh's former military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad died on Sunday due to complications from old age at a hospital in Dhaka, officials said here.
Bangladesh's former military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad died on Sunday due to complications from old age at a hospital in Dhaka, officials said here.
He was 91 and is survived by his wife Raushan Ershad, a teenage son from his now severed second marriage and two other adopted children.
Ershad, the Jatiya Party chief and also the leader of the opposition in Parliament, was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) on June 22 after his condition deteriorated.
The former president breathed his last at 7:45 am on Sunday at the intensive care unit of the facility where he was kept in life support for the last nine days after his organs gradually stopped functioning, the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) said.
"Previously, he used to try to respond through his eyes, but on Saturday he could not even blink his eyes," Ershad's younger brother and Jatiya Party leader G M Quader told reporters here yesterday.
President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chiudhuy mourned Ershad's death and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.
Ershad's namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayers) was held at the Army Central Mosque after Zuhr prayers, Jatiya Party secretary general Moshiur Rahman Ranga told reporters here.
Three more funeral prayers have been planned for the former president.
His second namaz-e-janaza will be held at South Plaza of the parliament building at 10 am on Monday. The body would then be taken to the party's central office located at Kakrail road for partymen and common people to pay their tributes.
On Tuesday, Ershad will be flown to his ancestral home district in Rangpur, from where he will be brought back to Dhaka on the same day for burial at the Banani army graveyard.
A former army chief, Ershad took over the state power in a bloodless coup in 1982 and subsequently ran the country for eight years until he was forced to quit in a pro-democracy mass upsurge in 1990.
Despite being imprisoned subsequently on several charges, Ershad emerged as one of the most powerful political leaders in the 1990s after his Jatiya Party became the country's third biggest political outfit.
He was elected to parliament several times, once contesting from the prison even.
Ershad, who was also a prolific poet, was considered to be a soft hearted person in private life though he faced with iron hand the opposition street campaigns to topple him during his nearly a decade of rule, first as a dictator and then as an elected president.
His rule was marked by a controversial move to make Islam the state religion of the officially secular Bangladesh.
Ershad was born in 1930 in Dinhata, a subdivision of Coochbehar district of present-day India's West Bengal to Mokbul Hossain and Mazida Khatun. His parents migrated from Dinhata to Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) in 1948 a year after the the India-Pakistan partition.
He was one of the nine siblings.
Ershad studied in Carmichael College in Rangpur, and later graduated from the Dhaka University in 1950. He joined the Pakistani army in 1952, when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. PTI AR
SCY
07141433
NNNN
PTI
Mumbai Metro launches Whatsapp-based ticket service for lines 2A and 7; know steps to avail it
Meet former TCS employee, who even worked in SBI bank, then cracked UPSC exam to become...
India announce squad for New Zealand Test series, Jasprit Bumrah named vice-captain
Tamil Nadu train accident: Mysuru-Darbhanga Express crashes into goods train, several feared injured
DNA TV Show: All about JPNIC controversy and why it's causing political tension in Lucknow?
NC's Omar Abdullah meets LG, stakes claim to form J-K government, swearing-in ceremony on...
IND vs BAN, 3rd T20I: Predicted playing XIs, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight with 150 onboard safely lands in Trichy after reporting…
IND vs BAN, 3rd T20I Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Bangladesh
Combined wealth of India's 100 richest individuals, for first time in 2024, surpasses Rs...
Ozonetel Acquires CloudConnect Communications
Noida Police announce traffic diversions for Dussehra celebrations: Check key routes to avoid
Ratan Tata's millennial friend Shantanu Naidu and his midnight surprise for the industrialist
Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj takes charge as Telangana DSP
Mukesh Ambani’s Diwali dhamaka offer: Get free AirFiber for one year, unlimited internet; here's how
Oil Ignores War: Why Markets Are Calm Amid Middle East Chaos
Amitabh Bachchan receives birthday wishes from Ajay Devgn, Prabhas, Rajinikanth, Kajol, Navya
PAK vs ENG: Pakistan become 1st team to lose Test match by an innings despite scoring 500 plus runs
Noel Naval Tata: Check educational qualification, family tree of new Chairman of Tata Trusts
Rupee hits all-time low against dollar, know why Indian currency fell, which one's strongest
Here's how Shantanu Naidu's midnight birthday surprise for Ratan Tata left him 'visibly awkward'
Nobel Peace Prize 2024 awarded to Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo for...
An Ila Arun blockbuster launched THIS actress in Bollywood, everybody in her family is a star
Amid divorce rumours, 'Flying Beast' Gaurav Taneja and Ritu Rathee reunited for daughters?
When PM Modi's one-word SMS to Ratan Tata brought Nano to Gujarat
PM Modi holds bilateral talks with his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone in Vientiane
Meet man, who is behind over 9% surge in Bandhan Bank share price today
Narayana Murthy's next BIG step, Infosys to no longer send job offer letters, the company will...
Vettaiyan Box Office Day 1: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan's film earns Rs 30 cr
Vishal Tinani awarded for Legal Excellence by Sachin Pilot
Your FAVOURITE car doesn't have steering wheels or pedals, is priced at Rs...
Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma deletes post on Ratan Tata after backlash, he said…
Ratan Tata became favourite customer of THIS Mumbai newspaper vendor due to...
Late Ratan Tata talks about his romantic relationships, 'Seriously four times'
Harbhajan Singh predicts this star player will attract bidding war in IPL auction, he is...
TCS mourns the death of veteran industrialist Ratan Tata in this post
'You're not a…': Nitish Kumar Reddy reveals what Gautam Gambhir said before 2nd T20I vs BAN
Bigg Boss 18: Pookie Baba Aniruddhacharya apologises for appearing on Salman Khan show
Mukesh Ambani BEATS Gautam Adani to take top spot on THIS list, his net worth jumps to...
Amitabh Bachchan mourns Ratan Tata's death, writes 'an era...'
'Goa', Ratan Tata's pet dog, bids him emotional goodbye
Happy Maha Ashtami 2024: Top 10 best wishes, messages to share with your loved ones on Durgashtmi
At least 22 killed in airstrikes in central Beirut, 117 injured
Manager sues this bank for Rs 416711420 after getting fired due to...
One flight made Amitabh Bachchan 'Sharaabi', changed his life, made him superstar
Centre declares Hizb-Ut-Tahrir as terrorist organisation for involvement in...
Forbes Billionaires list: Mukesh Ambani gets richer by Rs 23088 crore
Meet man who began his career at SBI, now set to lead Rs 30246 crore company as...
Amitabh Bachchan's Bombay To Goa was FIRST offered to Rajiv Gandhi
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope spots Jupiter's great Red Spot shaking like...