TDS Desk:
Shafiqul Alam, Bangladesh bureau chief of Agence France-Presse (AFP), has been appointed yesterday as the press secretary to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
Alam would have the rank of secretary and draw a salary of Tk 78,000 along with benefits, according to a notification of public administration ministry.
Shafiqul Alam, a seasoned journalist, will take on the role on a contractual basis, receiving the equivalent salary and benefits of a government secretary.
Additionally, Apurba Jahangir has been appointed as the deputy press secretary, and Shabbir Ahmed as the assistant private secretary to the chief advisor, both also on a contractual basis.
In the post, Shafiqul also announced the end of his AFP career.
“This is the end of my journey at AFP. I am indebted to three of my bureau chiefs here, Helen Rowe, Julie Rowe and Cat Barton. I learnt much of my journalism from these three incredible women. They told me no amount of pressure and bullying from the government or powerful people would work if my quotes and sourcing were OK. I stuck to this golden rule all my 20 years at AFP. AFP’s increasing focus on the unknown aspects of life in Bangladesh also helped me learn the country much better,” he wrote.
“It was too good an opportunity to pass up on. I hope to carry out my role as the press secretary with sincerity, grace and while upholding the freedom of the press…,” Alam said.