Ashab Uddin :: I found out it was 31st August Tuesday 1971. That day the army with the local killers murdered hundred's Bengalees, and killed 11 of close relative and my best cousin Samir Ali who was in London, Brick lane before 1945.

I remember at the age of three or less I jump in the water, a very large pond to catch fish, as I was very fond of large fish, couldn’t catch any, but I drown. As I was the last and seventh surving and last sons to my parent.

I wanted live and have wife sons and daughter. I was trying to survive for that, he and my 5th brother Ajmot Ali took me out from the pond and I had given me fast aid treatment and I remember finely who, and why I survived. I was told returning home from water to work for all, I found I was doing the same at the cost my dignity and wisdom. The harassment in queue came to the end or reduced by my effort on 29th Oct 1963.

I looked at the other side of the Road and saw a line of 3/4 thousands of people for a D-from for an entry visa to UK. I was told office door will be open at 11am, and the people will be called in the room one by one and the forms will be given. I stood in the line, and saw the corrupt broker selling D-form by 10/20 Taka which was not affordable in 1962. As I was behind 3 to 4 thousands of applicant for D-from in line or queue, I learnt before hand that going to college on that day will not be possible after waiting days for my turn to enter the office. So as the office door opened I was the first to be called in and given the form. I filled this form and send is back to Ministry of Labour Exchanges, Almack House, London.

The form was given to the employment office for free distribution, and it was available from Dhaka British High Commission after writing, they would have sent a D-from to applicant home to fill this form and sent back to London, after receiving the D form a letter, called Call Letter arrived from London, Ministry of Labour Exchanges, Almack House. This letter was to be showed for making passport. As I didn’t know until I went home after about three month later of sending it to London, this Call Letter was send to my home address.

When I went back home after two months of sending the D form to London, I came to know that a student had my Call-Letter. I went back to Sylhet and searched for the student and I find him, he has kept the letter in his history and science book. The letter was issued three months earlier. I had only three more months left to be in London. If I did not go to London within November 22, the Token or entry voucher would be expired. Helpless, I decided to go home again. While I was waiting for the Rickshaw near the fancy store Sylhet Hassan Market, the owner Edris Ali the ex seaman asked me why I was going home just after coming from the Village Sheeramishe the previous day. I told him everything, he then gave me some 14 Taka and advised to apply for the passport. He also reminded me how many persons went bankrupt by setting foot in the traps of the agents for getting a passport. When I went to the passport office for submitting application, I realized that this will not be possible by standing after two or three thousand applicant. By one’s advice I went to the post office but saw that, it would not be able to send application then and there, with thousands of applicants. I therefore bought stamps and sent the application by post. I was very worried after that, though I knew that each applicant had serial number. After enquiring at the local police station of the applicant, if the applicant was not a criminal, the passport will be ready within 28 days of application, and the next day the applicant will be called. The local police station called me and told me that I was supposed to get the passport within 29 days.

A travel agent of Taltala obtains my passport from Sylhet Passport Office without my authority, he found me after searching and gave my passport. I could not have done anything but thank him. The name of the travel agent was Home & Overseas Travel Agent. He was from the Biswanath area. Before leaving the country, I was the head Master of the Karchakeli Primary School under Biswanath Police Station. Perhaps that was why people respected me. My students were awarded the BA, MA, and MSC degrees and made me proud. After Saad Uddin and many of my student was martyred, the Roads to the village were not developed though our late MP and Minister has promise Village of Sreeramisi will be connected by all Road, it is the place of martyrs. Every one who was killed hear on 31st August 1971. have been working hear before they were killed, their wife and other relative know they didn’t return home, they want to visit the place and see if they can smell their blood.

I understand the money went somewhere because of corruption. I was told the local collaborator Abdul Khalique son of Abdul Monaf killer of my Bangladeshi worker has been promoted by community activists as their chairman of the year.

I and my neighbor Abdul Bari of Ballab Pur hired a room in a hotel of Dhaka Motijil at 8:30p.m on Monday, October 28, 1963. The British High Commission office was just near the hotel. We went there and saw some hundreds of applicants standing in 10:00 pm, at that time, instead of going to the hotel, we, too, went behind the line. After a few minutes another hundred of people stood behind us. In the mean time some agents came and jostled in the crowd by saying that they were there before, but the line was lost because they had to go outside for some need. They entered some places by force. I was told by all the by my applicant who was there before us or 28 October 1963, it happened everyday. These persons later sold their places to the agents, whose applicants come there. It created unrest for a long time. Some thousands of applicants usually came there before the down or sun rise. They told me that they lost their places for these agents, and were sometimes injured. I myself faced their attack on the 29th. I did not have to counter it. Some 25to30 persons countered, which made the agents go to hospital. The police came and took them injured. I was asked to represent the others to stop this incident and went inside the office after the door was opened. After hearing the incident, a high rank official lady asked me how this can be stopped. I suggested an alternative to give arrival number to each of the persons standing in line or at the queue. The Dhaka High Commission accepted my proposal on October 29, 1963.

I couldn’t have achieved it without her as it might go to a good record. If any day people invite me for a good diner at the upper house, I would ask the people to invite her and if possible all the people who was working with the British High Commission in Dhaka that day.

Those who came to London in the Pakistani period were eager to meet the living parents and relatives after December 16, 1971. We stamped our Pakistani passport from the Bangladeshi Mission and went to the country. Since there was no Bangladeshi passport, it was ordered to print the passport from India. It was not possible to wait until new passport arrived. Hence we were given a traveling permit, which said ‘The permit will be considered as a Bangladeshi passport and its receiver is a Bangladeshi citizen’. I heard in August, 1972 that Bangladeshi passport had been printed from India. Therefore we should apply for a Bangladesh if we need travel again to UK.

On 20 August, 1973 myself went to Dhaka for a re-entry Visa with my new Bangladeshi passport which was issued on 29th October 1972 Sunday. My call date was given to me by the passport office Sylhet on 20th Ramadan, 28th October, Saturday, after weating all day outside the ground of that office building we were expecting to receive our first Bangladeshi passport before 5:00pm. At 5:00pm all the applicant was told to go home and office work is closed for that day and return on Monday 30th of October. I was looking for explanation on Saturday from the Assistant Director Immigration and Passports Government of Bangladesh Regional Office; Sylhet Mr. Mamun while the applicant had a writing date to collect their passport on 28th October, but he couldn’t give my any explanation for the reason. He wrote a notice for the news paper and said from Sunday 29th of October the Passport Office will be open to work for seven days to work for sometimes until all the work louds cleared and become normal. He said to me because of the correcpt people in government his staff couldn’t work nomaly, they misused us. He prove me he has understand the westing of applicants valuable time everyday.

I went to the British High Commission of Dhaka to receive the visa in the Bangladesh passport as a returning resident from UK, As I went there with my passport in the office hours, I was given the re-entry visa on 21st August in no time.

On 20th August Tuesday I found out that they do not open the office gate before 10:30am. I was not happy about their time on the appointment letter and the opening time. On Wednesday 21/08/1973, I was permitted to do something necessary by all supplicants. As decided on previous day, I was waiting in front of entrance until the gate open.

The gate did open for their staff in their own time to enter with a car. I was asked to moved our Baby Taxi and clear the way for the office staff officer. The officer was very polite. I told him that I would move my carriage forward near the office & he can moved in which his car. I showed him my wife appointment time & told him that I was there from 8:30AM and it was already 10:30AM, two hour passed away from the appointment time. I wanted him to witness the time when I was there, so that there would be no chance of saying any time in future that I was late for interview.

He took me Inside the officer building & asked me to take a sit. It was a large hall with chairs where there was more sits then applicants. He came out from his office counter with some other staff and said that they were about six or more weeks behind of work. And they were felt extremely sad for the delay. I had nothing to say on this matter. All I said is there is a sicken lady outside at the queue by the Road, I asked him to consider if she can come inside & take a rest. And the hall is large enough to sit every applicant if they are allowed in, and if they can be given a turn number, they can rest wait for their turn number to be call, as they did back in 1963 the 29th of October Tuesday.

From this day, any applicant did not have to wait outside in rain, and was safe from the local pickpocket, and the applicants was safe from motor bikers who used to drive pass very near to the waiting applicants and throw-away mud, to the people at the queue by the road on muddy footpath. It was not tolerable. On that day every applicants allowed in and their pain at the queue outside came to its end. Everyone was happy. We were given a new date to go again in writing, and a letter was send to every applicants by post, to our home address in advance to come on another day instead. As it was usual at many other times before or a day before 21/08/73, we did not have to go there again and again for no good reason, waste most valuable time and money.

My wife appointment date dropped or changed from 21/08/73 to 11/09/73. On 22/08/73, we noticed that there was a list of dates hanging outside the office, it says --- those who has their appointment on 21/08/73 to come back on 10/09/73 instead, and so on ---22/08 to 11/09---, a continuation of about three weeks dates was listed there.

But while my wife was given an written appointment date with the British High Commission did not see her on that day, neither they told her if they consider that she was given a written date for 21st August at 8:30am. It was a big very big mistake by the High Commission. The same was at Sylhet Passport office. I was concernd about the date and time westing by them, I went inside the office waiting hall and noticed that there was a hall learge enouph with about over two hundred chairs, which big enough to take all waiting applicant. I was chosen by all applicants on 21st August to ask the authority do the British people know the invited applicant is waiting outside in the muddy road and in rain. We were staying at Sagorika Hotel at Motijil from 18th August 1973. The road, shops, market was full of robbery everyday and it was not safe to travel by anything from Hotel Sagorika of Motijil to British High Commission Office at Indira Road everyday. I told the applicant outside the office has harassment from the local motor biker, they drive through the waiting applicant and make them jump to other and as a result a sick woman was crying for help. I took this sick woman applicant inside the office to take rest and wait until the call her for interview. I found out she was coming for interview for sever days every day and when she found out she was becoming empty handed, she moved to a cheaper Hotel where she had been attracted by bug army. On 21st August 1973 all the writting applicant was allowed in waiting room until they have given them a new call date. On 21st August they have call some, who had date about three weeks earlier. On 22nd August every one was given a new date and time. From that day no one have go to the Office every day. On my advised the High Commission.

As I have work to introduced peace in line all over the civilized world form my birth and I believe I have created many many un- breakable world record, I would not think or consider that it would not have been possible without the help of that young women who came with me to give everyone a turn number on 29th October 1963. It is also because of my constant effort the education authority in UK introduced Halal food at school at 17th October 1983. If any one ask me why I have written about all my good work now. I have written it for people to know it, and suggest all to do something better so our future children will not be victim any corruption. Ashab Uddin-07556 493 641 ashabuddin786@yahoo.co.uk [16/01/2012 ]