Eminent journalist Gaffar Chowdhury laid to rest

Eminent lyricist, journalist and political analyst Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury was laid to eternal rest at Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard in Mirpur Saturday afternoon, UNB reports.

The prominent Bangladeshi-British writer and columnist was buried at 5.30pm.

Gaffar Chowdhury’s body arrived in Dhaka by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from London, where he died of a cardiac arrest.

The flight reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11.05am, said additional superintendent (ASP) of Airport Armed Police, Mohammad Ziaul Haque.

Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque formally received the body at the airport.

After arrival, his body was taken to the Central Shaheed Minar where he was given a guard of honour by state and people from all walks paid their last tributes from 1pm to 3pm.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Dhaka University Central Mosque at 3.30pm and then the body was taken to the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) where another namaz-e-janaza was held.

Jatiya Press Club (JPC) president Farida Yasmin, general secretary Elias Khan and joint secretary Mainul Alam spoke before the namaz-e-janaza recalling Chowdhury's contributions in journalism and other areas.

After his namaz-e-janaza there, JPC managing committee, press secretary to the prime minister, Ihsanul Karim, prime minister’s deputy press secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher, journalist leaders including the leaders of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) paid homage to Gaffar Chowdhury.

Representatives from the Prothom Alo, Kaler Kontho, Daily Ittefaq, Daily Jugantor and Daily Samakal also paid homage to Gaffar Chowdhury.

Earlier on 19 May, the veteran writer died of a cardiac arrest at a hospital in London. He was 88.

The Bangladeshi-British community and other admirers paid their last respects to Gaffar Chowdhury -- best known for writing the lyrics of "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano" -- following his first Namaz-e-Janaza held at London's Brick Lane mosque the next day.

Gaffar Chowdhury went to London in 1974 for his wife's treatment, under the arrangement of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.