Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a five-day programme to mark its 48th founding anniversary, with party leaders set to hold commemorative events, pay tribute to the party’s founder Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and participate in social initiatives across the country. The programme was announced by BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference in Nayapaltan on Wednesday following a joint meeting of the party. As part of the celebrations, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to pay tribute at the graves of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia at 9 a.m. on September 1. A discussion meeting featuring senior BNP leaders will be held on September 5, while the party will also organize programmes to release fish fry into open water bodies and plant trees. Rizvi said the party’s long-awaited council would be held soon, although a specific date has yet to be finalized. Reflecting on BNP’s political journey, he said the party had continued to move forward through years of struggle and mourning, claiming that repression and persecution had failed to force the organization into submission. Rizvi also addressed the reported assault on a journalist in Shariatpur, saying the BNP leadership had taken notice of the incident and that organizational action would be taken if the allegations were found to be true. He further said the party had consistently maintained what he described as honesty in its relationship with the people.