BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said that the overwhelming love shown by people across the country has helped him overcome the void of losing a loved one, making it feel as though the entire nation has become his family.

In a post on his verified Facebook page at 10:00amon Thursday, Tarique Rahman wrote, “Bathed in deep grief and gratitude, I have laid my beloved mother—my first teacher in life and three-time Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia—to eternal rest beside my father martyred president Ziaur Rahman. The emptiness created by her absence is beyond words.”

“Yet, in this difficult moment, the extraordinary presence of the people of this country did not allow me to feel alone,” he added.

He said he was deeply moved by the love and respect shown by countless party leaders and activists, well-wishers, family members, and citizens.

“The way millions of people came together to pay their respects, to express their love, and to stand beside us during this painful time has once again reminded me that she was not only my mother; in many ways, she was the mother of the nation,” he wrote.

Expressing gratitude to all, Tarique Rahman further said that senior representatives from several South Asian countries, as well as global diplomats and development partners, personally attended to pay their respects, for which he expressed his deep appreciation.