A doa mahfil for Latifur Rahman, founder chairman and CEO of Transcom Group, and his grandson Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was held at The Daily Star Centre yesterday.

Journalists and officials of the newspaper joined the event at the conference room, maintaining physical distancing.

The doa mahfil was arranged marking the first death anniversary of Latifur Rahman and fifth death anniversary of Faraaz.

Faraaz, a student of Emory University in Atlanta, US, was brutally killed by terrorists during the July 1 attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan in 2016.

Latifur was the founding director of Mediaworld, the company that owns The Daily Star, and chairman of Mediastar, the owning company of Prothom Alo. The newspapers are the leading English and Bangla dailies in the country.  

Soft-spoken and humble, the visionary and ethical businessman passed away in his sleep at his paternal home in Cumilla after suffering from lung-related illness for a long time.

A respected figure in the global business community, Latifur single-handedly built one of the biggest business conglomerates in the country with his hard work, perseverance, and entrepreneurial skills.

Latifur was a member of the executive board of ICC-Paris, vice president of ICC-Bangladesh and member of Brac's governing body. He was a member of the Bangladesh Better Business Forum and the Advisory Committee on World Trade Organisation.

He was also president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka for seven terms and of Bangladesh Employers' Federation.

Latifur was also chairman of the Bangladesh government's Trade Body Reforms Committee and a member of Bangladesh Bank's executive board.

He was an honouree of "Oslo Business for Peace Award 2012" and was awarded Business Executive of the Year 2001 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh.

The businessman was also honoured with the "Saarc Outstanding Leader" award and Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented by the UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce and Industry.

Latifur Rahman married Shahnaz Rahman. They have three daughters Simeen Hossain, Shahzreh Huq, (late) Shazneen Rahman, and son Arshad Waliur Rahman.

Faraaz was son of Simeen Hossain and Waquer Hossain.

On July 1, 2016 -- when the whole world was shocked by the atrocities of a number of militants at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka -- one Bangladeshi youth, Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, redefined the extent of friendship, bravery, dignity and humanity with his life.

The militants that attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery killed at least 22 civilians and 2 police officers. However, there was one young man who could get out of there alive. But Faraaz, only 20 years old at that time, refused to leave his two friends -- in the face of certain death, amidst gruesome killings. Instead, he tried with his last breath to save or at least stay with his friends.