The 90th birth anniversary of the architect of multi-party democracy and founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, is being observed on Monday.

Ziaur Rahman, also the proclaimer of Bangladesh`s independence and an architect of modern Bangladesh, was born on January 19, 1936 in Bagbari village under Nashipur Union in Gabtoli of Bogura district.

BNP will observe the birth anniversary of its founder with a two-day programme beginning today.

Marking the anniversary, party flags were hoisted at the central office and all party offices nationwide at the dawn today. Party leaders and activists from all levels, along with members of the BNP National Standing Committee, laid wreaths and offered `Fatiha` at the mausoleum of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in the city`s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at 11AM.

Doctors` Association of Bangladesh (DAB) will organize a medical camp to mark the birth anniversary.

A discussion will be held at 11:00 am on January 20, at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) auditorium in the capital`s Kakrail. Senior BNP leaders and prominent national figures will join it.

Simultaneously, discussion meetings and `dua mahfils` will be organized by BNP and its associate bodies and front organizations at district, metropolitan, upazila, and thana-level across the country.

Posters have been prepared, while special supplements were published in various national dailies today to mark the day.

Ziaur Rahman was the second of five sons of Chemist Mansur Rahman and Jahanara Khatun. His nickname was Kamol.

On the eventful November 7, 1975, Ziaur Rahman came to the center of the state power.

President Ziaur Rahman founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on September 1, 1978. The former president was assassinated by a group of misguided army personnel on May 30, 1981.

Ziaur Rahman, commander of the "Z Force" and Sector-1 during the country`s War of Liberation is being remembered with due respect for his historic and unforgettable contribution, who later emerged as a seasoned and popular statesman.

His uncompromised patriotism, steadfast commitment to democratic norms and values and profound love and respect for the country and its people endeared him to the nation, elevating him into a truly beloved and iconic figure.

His leadership shaped the nation`s political destiny.

Ziaur Rahman spent his childhood in Kolkata, where his father, Mansur Rahman, served as a scientific officer of the then British government. He studied up to class seven at Hare School, one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions, located at 87 College Street and founded by renowned educational reformer David Hare in Kolkata.

After the Partition in 1947, Ziaur Rahman moved to Karachi with his family, where he continued his studies at DJ Sindh Government Science College, a historic institution, established in 1887.

While studying at the College, he joined the Pakistan Military Academy as an officer cadet in 1953 and received commando training as a second lieutenant in 1955.

Ziaur Rahman joined the second batch of the East Bengal Regiment at Joydebpur Sub-Cantonment, near Dhaka as second-in-command in April 1967 and in the same year, he proceeded to West Germany for advanced military training.

In September 1970, he was posted to Chittagong (now Chattogram), with his base at Sholoshahar Bazar.

On March 25, 1971 the Pakistani occupation forces swooped on the armless people of the East Pakistan and soon he joined the Liberation War. On the nation`s darkest day in 1971, his unforgettable voice -- I, Major Zia, do hereby declare -- infused among countless hearts the hope and courage to wage the Liberation War.

Keeping aside the love and affection for his wife and sons, he devoted himself in mobilising the armed resistance against the occupation forces raising the `Z Force` dutifully served as the commander of Sector No. 1, established in initial period of the war.

In recognition of his extraordinary valor, he was later awarded the gallantry `Bir Uttam` title.

Despite the multiple changes of power following the August 1975 change of political landscape, Ziaur Rahman remained steadfast in carrying out professional duties which he was entrusted with by the state amid the turbulences in the military forces.

Amidst the turbulence within the army on November 3, 1975, a group imprisoned him at his house but on November 7, he was freed in the historic revolution of sepoys-people and eventually entrusted with the charge of leading the state.

After taking the charge as the President, he introduced multiparty democracy, ending the one-party BAKSAL rule imposed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through the Fourth Amendment to the constitution on January 25 in 1975, which restricted all newspapers except four.

Ziaur Rahman later restored freedom of the press and expression by lifting the ban through the Fifth Amendment to the constitution.

He assumed the Office of President on April 21, 1977 and was subsequently elected to presidency as the head of the state and government on June 23, 1978, defeating Awami League-backed candidate Liberation War Commander-in-Chief General MAG Osmani, by a wide margin in a free, fair and competitive election.

Ziaur Rahman also revitalised political parties to restore democracy, founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 1978 and introduced the 19-point programme, a new development framework, reflecting his party`s political philosophy.

He immediately set an example by restoring law and order across the country, decisively curbing corruption and all forms of crime, including theft, robbery, mugging, and hijacking restoring a sense of security public confidence in a short time.

On May 30 in 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in an abortive military coup.