New Press Council committee formed with Mahfuz Anam, Nurul Kabir on board

The government has announced a new committee of the Bangladesh Press Council for a two-year term.

The committee includes representatives from journalists' associations, the Editors’ Council, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Bangladesh Bar Council, according to a notice issued by the information ministry on Monday.

Among the members are Obaidur Rahman Shahin, acting president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Daulat Akhtar Mala, president of the Economic Reporters’ Forum, and Md Shahidul Islam, president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ). Editors Mahfuz Anam of The Daily Star, Nurul Kabir of New Age, and Dewan Hanif Mahmud of the daily Bonik Barta have also been included.

From the editorial and publishing sector, the nominees are Shamsul Huq Zahid, editor of The Financial Express, Ramiz Uddin Chowdhury, editor of Dainik Purbokone, and Akhtar Hossain Khan, advisor to the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB).

Additional representatives include Prof Mohammad Azam, director general of the Bangla Academy, Md Fakhrul Islam, secretary of the UGC, and Zainul Abedin, vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council.

The term of the nominated members will last two years from the date of issuance of the notification.

Earlier, the interim government appointed retired High Court justice Md AKM Abdul Hakim as the new chairman of the Press Council. He has been appointed on a three-year contract. His predecessor, retired justice Md Nizamul Huq, who served under the Awami League government, had his appointment cancelled on Sept 9, 2024.