A consultation and preparatory meeting was held ahead of the launch of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’, a non-political and non-profit organization founded under the slogan “No More Hatred, Bangladesh for Everyone.”
With a commitment to preserving Bangladesh’s centuries-old tradition of communal harmony and building an inclusive Bangladesh, prominent intellectuals, lawyers, judges, poets, writers, journalists, cultural personalities, political leaders, spiritual figures, and representatives from various professions have joined the initiative.
The consultation and preparatory meeting was held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, 5 September 2026, at the seminar hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka. Representatives from different political parties, ideologies, faiths, and social backgrounds attended the meeting, where a decision was taken to form the convener committee of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’.
Imam Hossain Mohammad Salim Elected Convener
At the meeting, Imam Hossain Mohammad Salim was elected Convener of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’ following a proposal by Sarwar Wadud Chowdhury, General Secretary and Spokesperson of the National Coordination Committee Against Corruption, with the unanimous support of those present.
The advisory council of the convener committee includes Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury, Justice Emdadul Haque Azad, Sarwar Wadud Chowdhury, Brigadier General Sharif Aziz, among others. It was announced that the full committee would be formed at a subsequent meeting of the committee.
Statements from Prominent Representatives of Various Professions
The meeting was moderated by Dr. Mahbub Alam Mahfuz. Speakers included Subrata Chowdhury, Acting President of Gono Forum and Senior Advocate and freedom fighter; Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB); Kazi Rafiq, Member of the National Executive Committee of BNP; Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party; Anwarul Islam Babu, Member of the Standing Committee of Bangladesh Jasad; Advocate Suman Kumar Roy, Founder and General Secretary of Bangladesh Sanatan Party; Dr. Abu Yusuf Selim, Secretary General of Bhasani Janashakti Party and Member Secretary of Bhasani Anusari Parishad; Advocate Syed Mahbub Hossain, Secretary General of Bangladesh People’s League; Habibur Rahman Riju, Member of the Higher Council of Gono Odhikar Parishad; and Md. Shariful Islam, Spokesperson of the National Labour Party.
Other speakers included Dr. B. M. Shamsul Haque, Founder and Chairman of Shah Makhdum Management University; Advocate Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan, Chairman of Bangladesh Human Rights Federation; retired Army officer Colonel Alauddin; retired Navy officer Captain M. Emdadul Haque; Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, Advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court and former Deputy Attorney General; former Army officer Major S. M. Harun-or-Rashid; retired Major Amin Ahmed Afsari, Adviser to Elite Force; Alhaj Md. Ziaul Kabir Dulu, Chairman of the Palestine-returned Freedom Fighters Parliament (Central Command) and freedom fighter; Shri Manindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council; and Dr. Md. Shariful Islam, President of Bangladesh Nurses Association (BNA).
Also speaking at the meeting were Asma Hossain, Women’s Affairs Secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Prajanma Dal; Bohni Bepari, Member of the Central Executive Committee of Jatiya Party; Hekim Alhaj Maulana Mufti Ferdaus Ahmad (Quraishi), Pir Sahib of Mirzaganj, Patuakhali, and Muhtamim of Mohammadia Darbar Sharif; Shah Sufi Touhidul Islam Chishti-Nizami, Chairman of Sufibad Sarbajanin Foundation Bangladesh; Dr. Maulana Anisur Rahman Jafori, Secretary General of the foundation; Md. Afaz Uddin Fakir of Pak Panjatan Darbar in Tarabo, Narayanganj; Khalifa Abdul Hakim Sureshwari, representative of Sureshwar Darbar Sharif in Naria, Shariatpur; renowned Sufi Baul artist Latif Sarkar; Shah Md. Pagal Monir, Adviser to Bangladesh National Baul Samity Foundation; spiritual researcher and writer Shahsufi Allama Hanif Nuri; cultural personality Chitta Francis Riberu of the Interfaith Writers Forum; and cancer researcher Dr. S. M. Sarwar, Principal of Gonoshasthya Homoeo.
Vision of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’
The speakers said that ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’ envisions a Bangladesh where people of all faiths—including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians—as well as people from all political parties and groups can live with equal dignity, rights, and security.
They emphasized that Bangladesh does not belong to any single religion, political party, or group; rather, it belongs to every citizen. They stressed the need to establish an inclusive environment for everyone by upholding the spirit and aspirations of the country while recognizing its diversity.
The speakers highlighted the importance of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’ as a platform for promoting unity in the interests of justice, human rights, and national interests, and expressed their commitment to working together toward these goals.
Others Present at the Meeting
Among those present were Abdullah Shahid, Chairman of Bangladesh Shanti Party and former judge; Dr. Joydeb Bhattacharya, Presidium Member of Bangladesh Socialist Party (Marxist); Nazrul Haque Pradhan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Jasad; Advocate Mohsin Hossain, President of Muslim League; Md. Shafiul Badsha Shipon, Central President of Tarek Rahman Jubo Parishad; journalist Basudev Dhar, President of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Committee; Maulana Abul Bashar, Chairman of Bangladesh Mosque Foundation; Jamshed Anwar Tapan, General Secretary of Udichi; and Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary General of Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance and Advocate of the Supreme Court.
Also present were Parvin Naser Khan Bhasani, Chairman of Trinamool National Awami Party (NAP); Major Bijoy, General Secretary of Bangladesh Christian Freedom Fighters Welfare Council; Advocate Sushanta Kumar Basu, General Secretary of the Legal Affairs Department of Hindu-Christian Unity Council; Senior Advocates Ibrahim Molla, Alhaj Mansur Rahman, and Shawkatul Haque Shawkat; Advocate Hasan Ali; Advocate Mohammad Jamal Hossain Nayan; Advocate Delwar Hossain; Senior Advocate A. K. N. Waliul Islam; Senior Advocate Md. Sarwar Sabaq; and Advocate Tarun Lal Bagchi.
The meeting was also attended by Akhtar Hossain, General Secretary of Gonomukti Jote; Litton Ershad, Secretary General of the Safe Roads Movement (NISCHA); Wing Commander Aminul Islam; Samageet artist Bithi Ghosh; former Director of Radio Tehran Mahfuzur Rahman; Sujan Kumar Mistry, spokesperson of Bangladesh Hindu Parishad; Sufi Abdus Sattar Farazi, Assistant Secretary General of Sufibad Sarbajanin Foundation; the Pir Sahib of Noore Haq Darbar Sharif; novelist Moni Haider; Ali Haider of Battala Cultural Organization; Dipak Suman of Tirandaj Theatre Group; Bithi of Charan Cultural Centre; Chhayanaut artist Laika Bashir; and Baul artist Fakir Abul Sarkar.
Through the formation of the convener committee, the participants expressed their commitment to advancing the activities of ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’ with the aim of building an inclusive Bangladesh based on mutual harmony, coexistence, justice, and human rights among people of different faiths, beliefs, political affiliations, and professional backgrounds.
