Doha, Qatar: The Indian Media Forum (IMF) organized a ‘Meet the Press’ event featuring key leaders following recent elections to the apex bodies. The event brought together ICC President A.P. Manikantan, ICBF President Shanavas Bava, and ISC President E.P. Abdul Rahman. The newly elected leaders shared their visions and outlined plans to strengthen the Indian community in Qatar.
ICC President A.P. Manikantan revealed plans to establish a community center and launch an ICC Library, which will include a spacious reading room for the Indian community. He also introduced a program aimed at helping highly educated housewives secure jobs in their respective fields. Additionally, Manikantan announced a labor camp art festival designed to provide creative outlets for workers. The event served as a platform for the leaders to discuss their initiatives and future projects that aim to benefit the Indian expatriate community in Qatar.
ICBF President
Shanavas Bava emphasized the expansion of consular services to more remote
areas in Qatar. Addressing concerns over Indian prisoners in Qatar, he noted
that over 700 Indians are currently in prison, many caught as drug carriers in
check-in cases. He stressed the need for stronger surveillance at Indian
airports, citing the involvement of drug cartels operating through countries
like Thailand. Additionally, ICBF has been distributing multilingual books to
inmates in labor camps and prisons through its library initiative.
ISC President E.P. Abdul Rahman outlined future sports initiatives, stating that the organization aims to promote sportsmanship and health awareness within the Indian community rather than focusing solely on international-level tournaments. He announced a Coco tournament on Qatar National Sports Day and highlighted the success of a women’s cricket coaching camp and exhibition match. The upcoming Sports Day program at Asian Town will also feature a kambavali competition for workers.
The event was presided over by IMF President Omanakuttan, with General Secretary Shafeeq Arakkal delivering the welcome speech and Treasurer RJ Ratheesh proposing the vote of thanks.
