The government has announced a new committee for Bangladesh Press Council, which includes 12 members, including Mahfuz Anam, the editor of The Daily Star, and Nurul Kabir, the editor of The New Age.
However, Nurul Kabir has expressed surprise over his inclusion, stating that he was neither consulted nor informed before his name was added. He made this known through a post on facebook post late Tuesday night.
In his post, he wrote: “It is quite astonishing that the Ministry of Information has published my name in the gazette as a member of the Press Council with a misspelling, without prior consent. I have consistently declined invitations from various governments to be part of the Council, and once again, no one—whether from the government or elsewhere—bothered to ask for my approval. I kindly request the concerned authorities to remove my name from the list.”
Previously, on Monday, the Ministry of Information had issued a notification announcing the new committee. The committee consists of representatives from various sectors.
According to the notification, the new Press Council Committee has been formed under the provisions of sections 4(1) and 4(2) of the Press Council Act, 1974. The gazette published on the government’s behalf lists the names of representatives from journalist associations, editors’ councils, the University Grants Commission, and the Bangladesh Bar Council.
According to gazette, new committee members are:
Mahfuz Anam (Editor and Publisher, The Daily Star)
Nurul Kabir (Editor, The New Age)
Obaidur Rahman Shaheen (Acting President, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists)
Dawlat Akter Mala (President, Economic Reporters Forum)
Md Shahidul Islam (President, Dhaka Journalists Union)
Deoan Hanif Mahmud (Publisher and Editor, Daily Bonik Barta)
Shamsul Haque Zahid (Editor, The Financial Express)
Ramiz Uddin Chowdhury (Editor, Daily Purbokone)
Akhtar Hossain Khan (Advisor, Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh- NOAB)
Professor Mohammad Azam (Director General, Bangla Academy)
Dr. Md Fakhrul Islam (Secretary, Bangladesh University Grants Commission)
Zainul Abedin (Vice Chairman, Bangladesh Bar Council)
According to the Press Council Act, 1974, the tenure of the newly appointed members will be two years, starting from the date of the gazette publication.
