Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday visited the grave of late Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh chief Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi at Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasha in Hathazari in Chattogram.

The Prime Minister reached the madrasha by road at around 5:50pm and offered Fateha at Shah Ahmad Shafi’s grave, said his Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Mir Mohammad Helal, PM’s Defence Adviser ATM Shamsul Islam, Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon and madrasha principal Maulana Khalil Ahmed Qureshi were present at the time.

After visiting the grave, the madrasha  principal took the Prime Minister to the second floor, where he exchanged greetings with senior Islamic scholars and madrasha teachers, Shiplu said.

As he left the madrasha, Tarique also greeted students and shook hands with them.

Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi died on September 18, 2020. He was one of the most senior figures in Bangladesh’s Qawmi madrasa community and served as director general of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam for around three and a half decades.

He was also the founding chief of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.

His role on issues concerning Islam, Qawmi education and various social and religious matters made him a prominent and widely discussed figure in the country’s religious community.

Earlier in the day, before visiting Shah Ahmad Shafi’s grave, Tarique travelled by road from Banshkhali to Fatikchhari, where he met Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh chief Allama Shah Muhibullah Babunagari at Al-Jamiatul Islamia Azizul Ulum Babunagar Madrasha.