National Eidgah welcomes first head of govt in 17 years as Yunus joins Eid prayers

It had been over a decade and a half since the head of Bangladesh's government last joined the main Eid prayer congregation at the National Eidgah grounds in Dhaka. That all changed on Monday when Muhammad Yunus, the de facto prime minister, arrived at the Eidgah grounds for the prayer service.

Also in attendance were Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, members of the interim government's advisory council, diplomats, the administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation, politicians, intellectuals, government officials, and people from all walks of life.

Mufti Mohammad Abdul Malek, khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, led the main congregation at 8:30am.

After the prayers and khutbah, or sermon, Religious Affairs Advisor AFM Khalid Hossain took the microphone to announce that Chief Advisor Yunus would deliver his greetings.

Wishing everyone Eid Mubarak, Yunus said: “Eid is a day where we overcome the distance between us. It is a day of closeness, a day of love. Let us celebrate this day with deep affection -- that is our message… May we be able to convey it to everyone.”

"Today is a day to build an unbreakable unity. We want to forge a permanent unity. This is our wish at the Eid congregation," he said.

After the prayers, Yunus exchanged greetings with many attendees and shook hands with several worshippers.

The last time a head of government joined Eid prayers at the National Eidgah was in 2008, when Fakhruddin Ahmed, then chief advisor of the military-backed caretaker government, attended the congregation. That year, then president Iajuddin Ahmed also joined the Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the Eidgah.

This year, however, there was no meeting between the head of state and the head of government at the Eidgah. President Md Shahabuddin performed his Eid prayers at the mosque inside the Bangabhaban.

During Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure from 2009 to 2024, women were allowed to pray at the National Eidgah but the former prime minister herself never attended. Typically, only the president joined the prayers there.

After the fall of the Awami League government during the student-led mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024, Hasina fled to India, where she is spending Eid this year.