A meeting was held at the Bangladesh Multipurpose Center  Birmingham demanding  that Osmani Airport be converted into a full international airport.

A meeting was held at the Bangladesh Multipurpose Center on Ashton Road, Birmingham on Monday, May 12, demanding that Osmani Airport be converted into a full international airport, that Biman flights be started from Birmingham, and the foreign flights be started from Osmani Airport.

The meeting  announced that remittances from Britain and a boycott of Biman would be stopped if the just demands of the expatriates were not met.

The meeting, chaired by prominent community leader Mohammad Faiz Uddin MBE and conducted by Faizur Rahman Chowdhury MBE, was addressed as the chief guest by eminent journalist KM Abu Taher Chowdhury, convener of the Campaign Committee UK for a Fully Functional Osmani International Airport, and was addressed as special guests by the organization’s joint convener Mahbubur Rahman Qureshi, member secretary Mohammad Abdur Rob, finance secretary Solicitor Mohammad Yaor Uddin, and Luton branch secretary journalist Md. Anwar Hossain.

Among the local leaders of Birmingham, the following spoke: Senior community leader MA Latif JP, Azad Chowdhury MBE, Abdul Malik Parvez, Kamrul Hasan Chunu, Syed Jamshed Ali, Mafiz Khan, Abdur Rashid, Abdul Qadir Abul, Firoz Khan, Kazi Angur Miah, Haji Inamur Rahman, Qari Abdul Mukit Azad, Mufti Tajul Islam, Mustafa Miah, Kamruzzaman and others.

Many leading individuals including community leader Tofazzal Hossain Chowdhury, Comrade Masud Ahmed, Sujatur Reza were present at the meeting.

At the meeting, strong anger was expressed over the failure to convert Osmani Airport into a full-fledged international airport even after 23 years. The speakers at the meeting said – Although 5 flights are operated every week from Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong, no flights are being provided from Sylhet except Biman. Even though 250,000 British Bangladeshis live in Birmingham,  Biman is not providing any flights. Additional fares are being collected from the passengers. There has been an increase in theft of luggage and harassment of passengers at Osmani Airport. Every government is discriminating against the people of Sylhet.

The speakers said – No more discrimination will be tolerated.

The unfinished work of Osmani Airport must be completed immediately, other foreign flights must be started, fares must be reduced and harassment must be stopped. Biman direct flights must be started from Birmingham. If the government continues to delay implementing these demands, then remittances will be stopped and a call for a boycott of Biman will be given in the future.

The chairman of the meeting expressed gratitude and thanked the Bangladesh Multi-Purpose Center for sponsoring this meeting. A large number of leading figures from Birmingham and the surrounding areas were present at the meeting. At the meeting, a 47-member campaign committee was formed, Birmingham branch, with Faizur Rahman Chowdhury MBE as convener, Abdul Malik Parvez as member secretary and Abdul Qadir Abul as finance secretary.