Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman on Sunday joined a discussion programme organized to mark the 45th death anniversary of the party's founder and former President Ziaur Rahman.

The event commenced in the afternoon at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium in the capital’s Farmgate neighborhood.

The programme opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran, which was immediately followed by a munajat (special prayer) offering.

A solemn one-minute silence was also observed by the attendees to honor the memory of the late President Ziaur Rahman.

BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is presiding over the discussion meeting.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to address the gathering as the chief guest.

The discussion forms a key part of a comprehensive set of programmes undertaken by the BNP to observe the 45th death anniversary of its founder.

The party, alongside its various associate bodies, has chalked out a detailed eight-day schedule to observe the death anniversary with due respect across the country.

These commemorative programmes officially began on May 25 and are slated to continue until June 1.

Ziaur Rahman, who founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 1978, was assassinated by a group of disgruntled Army officers at the Chattogram Circuit House on May 30, 1981.

With Inputs from UNB