BASIS Board Backed by 10-Member Support Committee, Excludes Women Representatives
A new 10-member support committee has been formed to assist the administrator of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) in carrying out organizational activities. The committee was constituted by the newly appointed BASIS administrator and Joint Secretary of the Local Government Division, Abul Khair Mohammad Hafizullah Khan, on Monday, October 27, under Section 18 (2)(a) of the Trade Organization Act, 2022.
Unlike the previous committee, which included two female members, the latest order signed by the BASIS administrator reveals that no women have been included in the newly formed committee.
The newly appointed members of the committee are Mushfiqur Rahman of Spectrum Software and Consulting Ltd., Mostafa Rafiqul Islam of Flora Telecom Ltd., Md. Rowshan Kamal, Managing Director of Techsol Technologies Ltd., Belal Ahmed of Synergy Interface Ltd., Rashed Kamal of Databiz Software Ltd., AHM Rokmunur Zaman Rony of HR SoftBD, Muhammad Abdul Majid of Bangla Puzzle Ltd., Md. Jewel of Lemise Ltd., Ferdous Alam of Atova Technology, and Syed Zahid Hossain of Meet Expert.
Earlier this year, following the resignation of then Chairman Rafeal Kabir on May 1, the previously constituted support committee—formed to assist the administrator in managing the national trade body of the software and IT industry—was dissolved under Section 18 (2)(f) and (g) of the Trade Organization Act. Initially comprising 11 members, the committee was later expanded to 15. After its dissolution, then BASIS administrator and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Computer Council, Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, resigned from his position on May 4.
It is worth noting that BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed resigned on October 17, followed by Vice President (Finance) Iqbal Ahmed Fakhrul Hasan on October 19. Subsequently, on October 30, the BASIS Executive Committee appointed Senior Vice President M. Rashidul Hasan as Acting President. However, citing procedural irregularities in the reconstitution of the BASIS Board, the Ministry of Commerce’s Trade Organization Division appointed Additional Secretary of the ICT Division, Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, as the BASIS administrator on December 4.
After nearly four months without formal leadership, the post of administrator was reassigned on September 8 to Abul Khair Mohammad Hafizullah Khan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, who now serves as the current administrator of BASIS.
