A man who has lifted a region from the morass of backwardness to the level of prosperity had breathed his last. People of Shariatpur still cannot believe that such an altruist, dedicated to the wellbeing of the people, has really passed away.
Where education, medical, and other civic amenities were almost absent once, Zainul Haque Sikder made all these a reality through his indomitable perseverance.
Shariatpur Municipality Mayor MD Rafiqul Islam told Bangladesh, "We have lost our big guardian. It's a huge loss for us, for Shariatpur people. He is a freedom fighter, inspired by Bangabandhu's spirit in the aftermath of the war, he devoted himself to building the country. We believe that if he were alive, we would see more development work in the area".
"He was a dreamer, he left his dream among us. We also believe that he will be remembered by the people for numerous institutions he set up in different sectors including education, health, housing, tourism, economy and employment", he added.
Sajal Sikder, district president of Sheikh Russel Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad told Bangladesh Post that, "It was a really remote area where people had to depend on adjacent districts for education, medical, and other purposes. But, only for ZH Sikder’s own efforts people from other districts now start coming here for receiving education, treatment and doing business, and many other purposes".
"In addition to establishing schools, colleges and hospitals, he has helped eradicate poverty for the welfare of the backward marginalized people,” he added.
People from all walks of life are mourning the sudden death of ZH Sikder, the business icon and the chairman of Sikder Group. From early morning of Saturday, they started arriving at the nearby field of Z. H. Sikder University of Science and Technology.
A fast food shop owner on the opposite site of the university while talking to Bangladesh Post said, "All people have love for ZH Sikder Sir. When he came here, law enforcement agency had to face trouble to tackle people's gathering. He contributed a lot to building our local society. What we lost can never be repaired".
However, they were eagerly awaiting to see ZH Sikder to pay their respects at Shariatpur where the second Namaz-e-Janaza for him was scheduled to be held today after Zohr prayers.
The body of Zainul Haque Sikder, Chairman of Sikder Group of Companies and National Bank Limited, arrived here at 5:10 pm on Friday. Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim were present at the airport to receive his body.
This universally respected successful businessman has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the country's economy and employment. One by one, companies have been established in various sectors including banks, garments, real estate and aviation by his relentless efforts.