Dhaka, Feb 15 (IANS) Bangladesh's Zia International Airport is to be renamed after 13th century Sufi saint Hazarat Shah Jalal, after deleting the name of former president Ziaur Rahman.

The civil aviation and tourism ministry drafted the proposal after a nod from the cabinet in October last year.

Shah Jalal is believed to have been born in Turkey in 1271.

He commands great respect among Muslims of the subcontinent. He was buried in Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh, where his shrine is visited by thousands of devotees.

The move is part of an effort by the Sheikh Hasina government to rename places and institutions named after Rahman, a former freedom fighter and army chief who subsequently emerged as a military strongman and the country's president.

Zia was killed in an army-led putsch in 1981. His widow and former prime minister Khaleda Zia is currently the leader of the opposition in parliament.

The government's move to rename Zia International Airport (ZIA) is likely to trigger opposition protests, political analysts said.

A formal proposal to rename the airport is scheduled to go before the cabinet for formal approval Monday, New Age newspaper said.

ZIA is the nation's largest airport with a total area of about 1,300 acres. More than 16 international airlines use this airport which handles half a million passengers and 98,000 million tonnes of cargo annually, according to official records.

There were moves to rename ZIA earlier as well and it was proposed to be called Dhaka International Airport.