Preparation for Bishwa Ijtema Going On

The world’s second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj The Bishwa Ijtema, billed as will be held in two phases on February 2 to February 4 and on February 9 to February 11 this year. Ahead of this, preparation is going on in full swing with thousands of volunteers working round the clock to prepare the Ijtema ground.

Devotees from different countries are likely to join the congregation on the banks of river Turag at Tongi.

Followers of Maulana Zobair will participate in the Ijtema’s first phase.

Mir Awlad Hossain, a follower of Tabligh Jamaat, who came to work in the Ijtema field, said that the work of filling the lowland of Ijtema Maidan, pulling huge curtains, repairing roads and sewage works is going on in full swing.

On weekends, a large number of volunteers from Gazipur, Dhaka and surrounding areas came to Ijtema to prepare the ground.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Md Ibrahim Khan said that there would be strict security arrangements for the safety of the pilgrims coming from home and abroad.

The law enforcement forces will also ensure security through helicopters, watch towers, dog squads, bomb disposal units and CCTV cameras, he added.

‘Preparations are being made to ensure successful completion of two phases of Ijtema,’ Gazipur deputy commissioner Abul Fatem Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said.

All preparations will be done on time, he added.

Bishwa Ijtema of the Tablighi Jamaat has been held since 1967 on the banks of Turag, on the outskirts of Dhaka.

It has been held in two phases since 2011.

UNB