The 13th death anniversary of Mohammad Hanif, the first elected mayor of Dhaka City Corporation and former president of Dhaka City Awami League, to be observed on Thursday(Nov.28).
president M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages on the occasion.
"Mayor Hanif was a dedicated leader of the Awami League and he worked for the welfare of the people till his death," the President said while paying tribute to his memory. Mohammad Hanif was an honest and sincere politician, and no temptation ever deviated him from his ideology, Hamid added.
"Hanif played a pivotal role in all the movements including the mass upsurge in 1969, liberation war and the anti-autocratic movement," said the Prime Minister.
Hanif's struggling life and works will encourage the new generation with the spirit of the liberation war and patriotism, she added. Various organizations including Dhaka South City Corporation have taken elaborate programs to mark his death anniversary.
The programs include offering fateha at his grave at Azimpur in the city, Doa and Milad-Mahfil at Mayor Hanif Mosque at Azimpur at 10.30am and a Memorial meeting and doa-mahfil at Nagar Bhaban at 11.30am.Awami League presidium member Tofail Ahmed will attend the memorial meeting as chief guest.
Besides, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote leaders will lay a floral wreath at his Azimpur grave at around 9.30am.Hanif, a close aide to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was critically injured in the grenade attack on August 21 in 2004, and died at city's Appollo Hospital on November 28 in 2006 at the age of 62.