File PhotoVeteran Munshiganj politician, freedom fighter and former deputy minister Abdul Hai, a former adviser to BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, passed away at a private hospital in the capital early Thursday. He was 77.
He breathed his last at around 1:30AM while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dhanmondi, according to family sources.
Abdul Hai was elected a member of parliament five times during his political career. He served as deputy minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, a panel speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and president of the Munshiganj district unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
His family is preparing to hold his first namaz-e-janaza at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, in the presence of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, followed by a second funeral prayer in Munshiganj.
His death has cast a pall of grief over the political community in Munshiganj, where he played a prominent role for decades. Political colleagues, party leaders, activists and well-wishers have expressed condolences over his passing.
Born on January 5, 1949, in Hosendi village of Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj, Hai became involved in politics during his student years. He began his career as an elected public representative in 1973, when he became chairman of Panchasar Union Parishad.
Abdul Hai joined the BNP in 1978 and was elected to parliament for the first time in 1979. Over the years, he remained an influential figure in the party’s politics in Munshiganj and served in several key parliamentary and government positions.
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