President M Abdul Hamid on Monday urged members of Buddhists Religious Welfare Trust to appropriately play their role in further strengthening country’s existing communal harmony, reports BSS.
The head of the state gave the directive when a 10-member delegation of the Buddhists Welfare Trust paid a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban here this evening. “No religion supports any sorts of fanaticism, militancy and terrorism. . . You (members of trustee board) have to work more to strengthen the existing communal harmony across the country,” President’s Press Secretary Joynal Abedin quoted him as saying.
Bangladesh is an instance of a country, where communal harmony has been prevailing for long, he said, adding people of all religious communities are living here in a congenial and peaceful atmosphere. Referring to his recent visit to Nepal, President Hamid said Nepal government has allocated a plot of land at Lumbini in Nepal where Bangladesh will construct a Buddhist temple.
The trustee members also apprised the President of the work-plan, including design of the temple and other necessary papers, during the meeting. Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi district of Province No. 5 in Nepal. It has a number of older temples, including the Mayadevi Temple, and various new temples, funded by Buddhist organisations from various countries.
Of the temples, some have been completed and some are still under construction. The members of the Board of Trustee also informed the President about their overall activities of the Buddhist community inside the country as well as abroad. They said the Buddhists community people will peregrinate abroad under the auspices of the trust for the first time this year.
Vice Chairman of the trust Supta Voshon Barua, Secretary to the Religious Affairs Ministry M Anisur Rahman, President’s Secretary Sampad Barua and Trustee Basonti Chakma, MP, among others, were present.
