BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has sought prayers from the people of the country for his mother, former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, who passed away earlier on Tuesday.

In a verified Facebook post around noon, Tarique Rahman wrote, “Please pray for my mother. I and my family are eternally grateful for the emotion, love and global respect shown by the people of Bangladesh towards her.”

He said Begum Khaleda Zia responded to the call of Almighty Allah and departed from them, noting that to many she was known as a resolute national leader, to others the mother of democracy and the mother of Bangladesh.

“Today, the nation is deeply mourning the loss of a guiding figure who played an inexhaustible role in Bangladesh’s democratic journey,” he wrote.

Describing Khaleda Zia as a compassionate mother, Tarique Rahman said she devoted her entire life to the country and its people, fighting throughout her life against autocracy, fascism and hegemony, and leading the struggle for independence, sovereignty and democracy.

He also said her immense love provided strength and inspiration even during the most difficult times. “Despite a life illuminated by sacrifice and struggle, she was the true guardian of the family — a beacon whose boundless love gave us courage and motivation in our darkest hours,” he wrote.

Tarique Rahman recalled that his mother was repeatedly arrested, denied proper medical treatment and subjected to extreme repression, yet she instilled indomitable courage, compassion and patriotism among family members despite pain, loneliness and uncertainty.

Mentioning that she never compromised for the country, he said Khaleda Zia lost her husband and her son for the cause of the nation. “This country and its people were her family, her identity and her very existence,” he wrote, adding that she left behind an unforgettable legacy of public service, sacrifice and struggle that will remain eternally remembered in Bangladesh’s democratic history.

Former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at 6:00am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.