Electronic and online media professionals gain prominence in the new committee
11-Member Press Accreditation Committee Reconstituted with 5 Senior Journalists
The government has reconstituted the 11-member Press Accreditation Committee, including five senior journalists. Headed by Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmad, the committee will handle card issuance, dispute resolution, and policy recommendations.
The government has reconstituted the Press Accreditation Committee, incorporating five senior journalists: Atiqur Rahman Rumon, Journalist and Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister; Kader Gani Chowdhury, Secretary General of BFUJ and DUJ; Khurshid Alam, Executive Editor of ZNews.news and General Secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists; Md. Shofiqul Islam, CEO and Head of News of Ekattor Television; and Umme Marufa, Special Representative of News24 Television. The inclusion reflects a clear prominence of electronic and online media professionals in the era of new-age media.
The 11-member committee was reconstituted via an official order issued yesterday, Sunday (July 5), in accordance with sub-clause 4.1 of the Press Accreditation Policy-2025. Chaired by Syed Abdal Ahmad, Principal Information Officer of the Press Information Department (PID), the Senior Deputy Principal Information Officer (Protocol) of the PID will serve as its member-secretary.
Other members of the committee include the Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director General of the Department of Films and Publications (DFP), the Deputy Secretary (Press-2) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Deputy Secretary of the Secretariat Security Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the official order, the committee will take the necessary measures regarding the issuance of press accreditation cards. It will also be responsible for resolving objections, complaints, hearings, and settlements related to the cards. Furthermore, the committee will provide recommendations for any necessary additions, amendments, or refinements to the current Press Accreditation Policy.
Notably, the new Press Accreditation Policy was introduced in 2025, replacing the previous system of permanent and temporary cards with a uniform press accreditation card. According to the policy, the cards will have a validity period of three years. A media organization can request accreditation cards for a maximum of 30 percent of its journalistic staff, with an upper limit of 15 persons per organization. The policy also stipulates provisions for district-level journalists to receive their cards from their respective districts. Earlier on May 20, the government had reconstituted the Press Accreditation Appeals Committee.
//DBTech/BSI/SMI//
