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Khoka laid to rest

Staff Correspondent
Former mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation and a valiant freedom fighter Sadeque Hossain Khoka was laid to rest with state honour at Jurain Graveyard following a series of Namaz-e-Janaza yesterday.
As per his wish, Khoka was buried at the graveyard beside his mother's grave after the last namaz-e-janaza held at Dhupkhola playground in the capital.
A flight of Emirates carrying the body of Khoka landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:28am yesterday.
BNP Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku received the body while a number of leaders and activists of the party were present at the airport.
Later, the coffin of Khoka was taken to the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad where his first namaz-e-janaza was held. Current and former MPs, leaders of different political parties and the people from all walks of life took part in the janaza.
From the parliament compound, Khoka's body was taken to Central Shaheed Minar and it was kept from 12pm-l :00pm enabling people of all walks of life to pay their last respect to the valiant freedom fighter.
From there, the body of Khoka was taken to BNP's Nayapaltan central office around 1:30pm and kept on a temporary stage in front of it where leaders and activists of the party paid their last respect.
Thousands of BNP leaders and activists from its different front and associate bodies gathered in Nayapaltan area and bid tearful adieu to their beloved leader.
Later, his third (second in the country) namaz-e-janaza was held in the area where thousands of party leaders and activists joined.
After the janaza, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir along with party's senior leaders, including Khandaker Mosharraf Flossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, placed wreaths on Khoka's coffin on behalf of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia. They also draped the coffin with a party flag showing respect to the late leader.
In a brief address prior to a Janaza, Fakhrul said, "We are here in front of
the beloved party office of Sadeque Hossain Khoka to join his janaza. He had been out of the country for five years as he was subjected to the government's vengeance. The government implicated him in false cases and convicted him."
Stating that Khoka played an outstanding role in liberating Bangladesh, he lamented that the valiant freedom fighter could not breathe his last in his motherland.
The BNP leader said the vacuum that was created following the death of Khoka will never be filled.
Khoka's son Ishraque Hossain said his father was loyal to his party and its chairperson until his last breath.
"His last word to me was not to make any compromise over bringing him back to the country. He told me don't do anything without the consent of Khaleda Zia and BNP as he didn't want anybody to call him collaborator for making any understanding with the government," Ishraque said.
Then Khoka's body was taken to his former office, which is now known as Dhaka South City Corporation Bhaban, for his third namaz-e-janaza. His body was then taken to his Gopibag house.
Khoka passed away in the USA on Monday at the age of 68.
A janaza of Khoka was earlier held at Jamaica Muslim Center in New York.
Fie had been suffering from kidney cancer since 2014. He along with his wife went to the USA in 2014 for treatment.
Khoka has left behind his wife Ismat Ara, daughter Sarika Sadeque, sons Ishraque Hossain, Isfaque Hossain and a host of relatives, followers and well-wishers to mourn his death.
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