Former State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman Patal passed away at an Indian hospital on Thursday night. He was 65. Patal, also an adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, breathed his last at Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata around 9 pm, said Natore’s Lalpur upazila BNP general secretary and upazila parishad chairman Harun-or-Rashid. BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan said the BNP leader had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since April 16 for kidney and some other critical diseases. He is survived by wife, two sons, two daughters and a host of relatives, followers and well-wishers to mourn his death. Hailing from Gouripur village under Lalpur of Natore, Patal was a vice president of Rajshahi University Central Student Union (Rucsu). Dhaka, UNB News Agency Reported.
He had joined BNP during its founder Ziaur Rahman’s rule, and had been elected MP from his home constituency for several times. Patal was made state minister for communications after BNP formed government in 1991. He had also served as BNP publicity affairs secretary for a long time. He served as the state minister for youth and sports during the BNP-led government from 2001-2006. In 2009, he was made BNP chairperson’s adviser and again appointed to the same post in the BNP’s newly formed committee. Meanwhile, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at his death. In separate condolence messages, they prayed for salvation of the departed soul and conveyed their profound sympathy to the bereaved family members.
