Staff Reporter :
The government has appointed distinguished intellectual, prominent author, and renowned researcher Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq as the President of Bangla Academy.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs issued a notification on Sunday (Oct 24) confirming his appointment for a term of three years.
According to the notification, Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq has been appointed as President of Bangla Academy under Section 6(1), 6(2), and 6(3) of the Bangla Academy Act-2013 (Act No. 33 of 2013), with effect from the date of assuming office.
The order specifies that his duties and responsibilities as President will be governed by the provisions of the ‘Bangla Academy Act, 2013’.
Huq is replacing Selina Hossain in the post. Hossain, a fiction writer, was appointed as president of Bangla Academy on Feb 3, 2022 and resigned on Oct 17 after the fall of the Awami League government.
In his immediate response, Huq told media “I haven’t received the letter [of appointment] yet. They may have sent it to my office. But I give my thanks to those who nominated me for the post.”
“I would also like to say that, Bangla Academy is a national institution for intellectual thought, but due to its administration by a narrow-minded few, it gradually became a party institution.
We must all try to ensure that it remains a national institution and that Bangla Academy can do the work it was meant for.”