Collection of signatures in Chittagong on the call for world peace

At this time a branch of the Peace Council was also established in the port city of Chittagong in East Pakistan. A committee of the Chittagong Peace Council was formed with Abdul Haq Dobhas as president (politician) and Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury as Marxist youth culture organizer as general secretary. Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury has been publishing a magazine called 'Simant' for about 5 years. The issue of ‘anti-communalism’ on the border became especially popular in two Bengalis. Prominent writers of two Bengals used to write in it regularly. This magazine played a special role in organizing the four-day 'Culture Conference' held at Harikhola Field (now Maitri Bhavan, Momin Road) in Chittagong in 1951. And on this occasion ‘Border’ magazine also published a special issue.

‘Border’ magazine has fought against war for peace, humanity and a just social system. Newspaper issues have written-opinion-features against world peace and war. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Pablo Neruda, Nazim Hikmat, Kisan Chander, Cornford, Mulkraj Anand, Izmat Chukhtai, Christopher Codwell, Ilya Erenburg, Howard Fast and other world famous writers were translated and published. Most of these writings are rich in peace and human appeal.

Mahbub Alam Chowdhury wrote in his introduction on the occasion of the re-publication of some issues of 'Simant' magazine, 'The Chittagong branch of the World Peace Council collected seven lakh signatures in 1950 demanding a ban on atomic bombs. I still remember the names of some of the collectors. ATM Shamsuddin, Kislay Sensharma, Ahmedur Rahman Azmi, Chitta Singh, Nani Sarkar, Binod Dasgupta and others. The signature was sent to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden (the headquarters of the world peace movement).

In this context, I was invited to attend the peace conference. But at that time the government confiscated my passport. I have not been able to go abroad for nineteen years since then. '