TOGETHER: Members of the new executive committee with the chief guest and other office bearers.

By Umer Nangiana


In a special ceremony, the new members of the executive committee of Jalalabad Association for the community members of Bangladesh were installed here recently.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, the Finance Minister of Bangladesh, was the chief guest and administered oath to the new executive committee to be headed by Shams Uddin Khan.
Syed Masud Mahmood Khundoker, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar; Hafiz Ahmed Mazumdar, Chairman Bangladesh Red Crescent Society; Naser Ahmed Chaudhry, Chairman Jalalabad Welfare Trust Dhaka; Syed Abdul Mukfadir and Dr AK Abdul Mubin, both former Presidents of Jalalabad Association; Syed Jaglul Pasha, General Secretary of Jalalabad Association; and Mohamed Abdul Sattar, the outgoing president attended the ceremony.  
Besides members of Bangladesh community in Qatar, many former members of Jalalabad association were invited as special guests.
Speaking to the gathering, Abdul Muhith appreciated the work of the association and urged everyone to stay united and work harder.
“I am very happy to see the achievements made by the association and I would urge every one of you living here to obey the laws, rules and regulations of Qatar. Every individual from Bangladesh is an ambassador for his country and represents Bangladesh here. You should obey the local laws and it will portray a positive image of your country,” said the minister while addressing the guests.  
He also urged the community members to contact the Jalalabad Association in case of any problems before getting in touch with the Bangladesh embassy.
The minister was given an overview of the association’s last year’s achievement. The association told the minister that many members of the community living here in Qatar were helped in their medical treatment and were given QR5,000 in some cases.
Over the years, the association has carried out multiple social development activities such as Medicare Campaign, Keep Qatar Clean, education seminars and blood donation camps.
“We gather the community members and head to Corniche or other beaches in the country and clean them. Last time, more than 300 people participated,” Sattar, the outgoing president, said.  
“We have held blood donation campaigns at one of the Bangladesh schools in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation, with more than 50 people donated blood last time. We do the blood donation campaign sometimes more than once a year,” he added.
“For our Medicare campaigns, we select a place where we install camp where doctors and nurses from Hamad Medical Corporation come and check people free-of-charge.
“The treatments are given free of charge and there is also an ambulance stationed at the site which transports any emergency patients to hospitals. The campaign generally is attended by a large number of people,” said the outgoing president.
About the selection procedure of the executive committee, he said that the association selects one core committee from within comprising prominent members and this committee then goes on to select the representatives for different roles. The president and the board then allot portfolios to the members of the executive committee.
During his tenure, Sattar said they established one new branch of the association in Al Khor that has 65 members and initiated another in Shahaniya.
The association also supports the members of working class Bangladeshi community to provide them with translation and interpretation services for effective communication with their sponsors here in Qatar.
“Our association particularly focuses on low-salary segment of the community. We also engage others in the community activities and get together,” said Sattar.
The installation ceremony concluded with a cultural performance by famous Bangladeshi singer, Manna. Dinner was served to the guests after the performance.


Related Story