Relatives and party activists have gathered at the house of BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka in Dhaka’s Gopibag to see the veteran politician one last time.
A Freedom Fighter and former mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation, Khoka, 67, breathed his last at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York on Monday (Oct 4) following a long battle with cancer.
The veteran politician is survived by his wife Ismat Ara and their two sons and a daughter, Ishraque Hossain, Ishfaque Hossain and Sarika Sadeque.
However, the arrival date of Kokha’s mortal remains is yet to decide due to passport issues. Although Information Minister Hasan Mahmud assured the family of providing all assistance to bring back the body home.
On spot visit at Khoka’s Gopibag ‘Shekar’ house on Monday evening, this correspondent saw a large number of relatives, and party leaders and activists gathered there. They all want to see Khoka for last time.
Relatives are, however, doubtful. “Arrival date of Khoka’s mortal yet remains undecided,” Anowar Hossain Ujjal, younger brother of Khoka, told Bangla Tribune.
“Our family members don’t have passports. Now [to bring back the body] requires the government’s permission, we expect government’s cooperation to bring back the body of a freedom fighter home,” he added.
Anowar said that the last wish of Khoka was to be buried at home for which he fought the Liberation War.
Upon arrival, “Khoka will be buried at Jurain beside our parents’ grave,” said the former mayor’s younger brother.
Speaking of politics, Anwar said his elder brother did not talk about politics with the family. Khoka “always tried to keep the family out of politics”, he said.
Kokha was raised at his Gopibag house. He stayed there till he defeated Sheikh Hasina, now Prime Minister, at Dhaka-7 constituency in 1991 election. As he became a minister of the then-BNP government, he moved to a government facility. After that, he began staying at his residence in Gulshan. But he visited the three-storied house in Gopibag from time to time.
On Monday night, BNP leaders including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Shairul Kabir Khan, and Dhaka South City unit president Habib Un Nabi Khan Sohel went to the house and spent time with Kokha’s relatives.
A book of condolence has also been opened at the house to pay tribute to Khoka.
Khoka’s former assistant personal secretary Nazrul Islam Kiran said, “The memorial guest book has been opened so leaders and activists can write down their memories with Khoka”
“With the demise of Sadeque Hossain Khoka Bangladesh lost a valiant freedom fighter, patriot, and pillar of nationalist ideology. His death created a vacuum that is impossible to fulfill,” Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain wrote on the memorial book.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed his condolence. He couldn’t visit Khoka’s house as the senior leader was in Jashore to attend a programme on the occasion of the first death anniversary of another BNP leader Tariqul Islam.
Noor Alam, who had been a personal assistant to Khoka since 1995, told Bangla Tribune that he never saw Khoka behaving rudely with someone. “In fact, we have lost a guardian. Now we are waiting to see him one last time.”
Calming he last spoke to Khoka on Nov 1, Alam said the veteran politician never returned anyone empty-handed before recalling a memory with him.
Once he visited Chattagram with Khoka where they stayed at a local leader’s house for the night.
“In the middle of the night, I saw him standing beside my bed. I asked him whether he needs any help instead he wanted to know if I had any pillow for sleep. He even asked me to bring a pillow from his room,” Alam reminisced.
Photo: Sazzad Hossain