Senior journalist and Executive Editor of Daily Amar Desh, Syed Abdal Ahmed, has been appointed as the Principal Information Officer (PIO) of the government. He has been appointed on a contractual basis for one year in the rank of Secretary to the government.
On 26 April, Sunday, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in this regard.
The notification issued by the Contract and Foreign Service Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration stated that he has been appointed to the post of Principal Information Officer (Grade-1) at the Department of Information under the condition that he must sever all employment relations with any other profession, business, or any government, semi-government, private organization, or institution. The appointment will be effective for one year from the date of joining. It also stated that other terms and conditions of the appointment will be determined by the contract agreement, and the order has been issued in the public interest.
Syed Abdal Ahmed is currently serving as the Executive Editor of Daily Amar Desh and the Acting Editor of the children’s monthly Tuntuni. Earlier, he also served as a member of the Media Reform Commission formed by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
In his journalism career, Syed Abdal Ahmed began in 1982 as a university reporter at Daily Bangla and served in various positions at the newspaper until 1997. He later worked with BSS, Daily Janakantha, Daily Dinkal, Weekly Bichitra, and several other media outlets.
He was elected General Secretary of the National Press Club for two consecutive terms during 2011–2015, serving a total of five years. He also served as Deputy Press Secretary (equivalent to Deputy Secretary to the government) to then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during 1992–96.
Syed Abdal Ahmed was born on 28 November 1962 in Nasirpur village under Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district. He studied at Shaistaganj High School in Habiganj district of Sylhet and at Brindaban Government College in Habiganj. He later obtained BSc (Honours) and MSc degrees in Chemistry from Jahangirnagar University.
In recognition of his special contributions to journalism, he received the prestigious Philips Award and ESCAP-FEJ Award in 1989, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Dhaka Reporters Unity in 2025.
He is a lifetime member of the Bangla Academy and the author of more than 20 books. His notable works include Nandito Netri Khaleda Zia, Buriganga Tire Rahoshyo Nagari, Kingbontir Zia, Mahan Bhasha Andolon, Jalabayu Poriborton, and Nabiji (SA), among others.
DBTech/SA/EK/OR
