Bharat Bangladesh Pakistan Peoples Forum next South Asia conference in Agartala and Chittagong

October 18, 2014:

BBPPF's next meet in Agartala,Chittagong
The Bharat Bangladesh Pakistan Peoples Forum will hold their next South Asia conference in Agartala and Chittagong

The Bharat Bangladesh Pakistan People's Forum (BBPPF) has decided to hold its next South Asian conference in Agartala ( 21-22 oct) and Chittagong (date to be finalised).

The Bangladesh contingent currently attending the BBPPF's South Asia People's Convention in Kolkata (16-18 Oct) has proposed that the name of the Forum should be changed to include other South Asian countries.

Discussion on the proposal will continue until Saturday.

MP Moinuddin Khan Badal will be in charge of the committee organising the South Asia Peoples Conference in Chittagong in December shortly after Bangladesh's Victory Day celebrations on 16th December.

Forward Bloc's Tripura committee general secretary Shyamal Roy will be in charge of holding a similar conference in Agartala.

The BBPPF has decided to hold a Long March from Kabul (Afghanistan) to Moirang( India's Manipur state) between 1st December 2015 and 8th April 2016 as part of the cetenary celebrations of the Arz-e-Huqumat e Azad Hind, the first government of Free India formed by exiled nationalists during the First World War with Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh as President and Maulana Barkatullah as Prime Minister.

"The Long March will seek to revive the shared historical memories of the first government of Free India and that will help the people of South Asia unite in their struggle to keep out the neo-colonialist forces spearheaded by US imperialism," said BBPPF convenor Manik Samjadar.

Speaking at the Kolkata convention on Friday, former Forward Bloc MP Debabrata Biswas said : " US imperialism is trying to divide us and sharpen conflicts within South Asia and elsewhere in the continent. It gains through arms trade if countries like India and China or India and Pakistan fight each other. That should not happen."

The BBPPF has also resolved to request the governments of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to join together to organise the centenary celebrations of Arz e Huqumat e Azad Hind (the first government of Free India) much like the governments of India and Bangladesh had joined together to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

"This celebration will help us bridge the divide in South Asia by rekindling the anti-imperialist spirit," Biswas said.

The BBPPF also wants the governments of these four countries to include a chapter on the formation of the first government of Free India in the school history books of their countries.

The Forum also demanded that the Indian government should quash the arrest warrant of colonial government still pending against indepedence war hero Subhas Chandra Bose and make public all papers related to his activities including his mysterious disappearence.

"Subhas Bose is the only figure of India's anti-colonial struggle whose memories can united us all in South Asia. It is a shame that the arrest warrant is still pending," said Indian delegate Payal Singh.

The BBPPF also resolved to push governments in South Asia to make visa and travel easier between their countries.

Bangladesh delegates like Mustari Begum also raised the issue of providing easy access to Bangladesh TV channels for audiences in India and other South Asian countries.

"We want to showcase our cultures to each other. We get to see most Indian channels in countries but it should also be the other way around now."

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* This PR was sent to e-pao.net by Subir Bhaumik
This Press Release was posted on October 19 2014