The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will observe the 81st birthday of its Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Friday in a low-profile manner, holding only prayer events without any cake-cutting ceremonies.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Thursday that the party will organize doa (prayers) and milad mahfils to pray for Khaleda Zia’s good health and speedy recovery, instead of traditional birthday celebrations.

A milad mahfil is scheduled for 11 a.m. at BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan. Another doa and milad gathering will be arranged at Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence after Asr prayers. Similar events will take place at BNP offices nationwide, including the central office in Dhaka, as well as in mosques after Juma prayers. The gatherings will also seek blessings for the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 democratic movement, and the 2024 mass uprising.

Rizvi encouraged BNP leaders, activists, and members of affiliated organizations to participate in the programmes spontaneously.

Born on August 15, 1945, in Dinajpur, Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister in 1991 and served three terms: from 1991 to 1996, briefly in February 1996, and from 2001 to 2006. She is the fourth of six children. Her father, Iskandar Ali Majumder, worked in Dinajpur, where she spent her childhood, though her family’s ancestral home is in Fulgazi Upazila, Feni.

After the assassination of her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, on May 30, 1981, Khaleda Zia entered politics. She first became the party’s Vice-Chairperson and was elected Chairperson in 1984.

Previously, BNP used to celebrate her birthday with cake-cutting ceremonies every August 15. Since 2016, however, the party has limited observances to prayers and religious gatherings.

In recent years, Khaleda Zia has been unwell and is receiving intensive medical care at her Gulshan residence, ‘Feroza’. She does not meet party members in person but exchanges Eid greetings with standing committee members during the two Eids each year.