Live Correspondent: Thursday’s proceedings of the High Court and the Appellate Division were stopped to mourn death of former law minister and ruling Awami League presidium member Abdul Matin Khasru. Chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain announced the vacation after joining the Appellate Division-1 online proceedings at about 9:45am.  

The namaz-e-jazana of Abdul Matin Khasru was held on the Supreme Court Bar Association’s premises at about 10:00am after the newly elected SCBA president was brought there from his residence at Bakshi Bazar in old Dhaka. 

The chief justice, five other judges of the Appellate Division, some judges of the High Court Division, law minister Anisul Huq, attorney general AM Amin Uddin, and lawyers and juniors and friends of the former law minister participated in the namaz-e-janaza.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, representatives of the president and the prime minister, and Awami League leaders, among others placed floral wreaths on the coffin of the veteran politician.

The Namaz-e-janaza was followed a guard of honour of offered to Khasru as a freedom fighter, on behalf of the Dhaka deputy commissioner.

The family members said that Khasru would be buried after his last namaz-e-janaza after asr prayer at Burichong upazila in Cumilla, his constituency.

The AL lawmaker from Cumilla-5 constituency breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka about 4:44pm on Wednesday, confirmed his personal secretary Mahbub Hossain.

Khasru, who had been suffering from post-COVID 19 disease, was in life-support at the hospital since April13.

The senior lawyer was shifted to the intensive care unit on April 6 as infections developed in his lungs after he recovered from COVID-19, his wife Selina Sobhan Khasru told New Age.

Khasru, also the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law, justice and parliamentary affairs, was admitted to the CMH on March 16 with COVID-19 infection after he tested positive with coronavirus infection by the Sangsad Secretariat Hospital on the day. Khasru,71, is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

The president, the prime minister, the chief justice, law minister, Supreme Court Bar Association expressed deep shocks in separate condolence messages.  

Khasru was elected the SCBA president on March 11 election, but could not participate in the ceremony of taking charge from the previous executive committee on Monday because of his illness.

Abdul Matin Khasru was elected as a lawmaker in five consecutive general elections from Cumilla-5 constituency.

He was appointed as the law minister in Awami League government’s first tenure in 1996-2001.

Dhaka, 15 April (campuslive24.com)//AIT