Info Commission to be formed nearly after 2 yrs

An independent Information Commission will be formed within a month, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after a meeting at the Rangpur Divisional Commissioner’s office.

Ur Rahman said previous Information Commissions were largely ineffective, but the government wants to establish an independent and effective commission this time. The commission will also take measures if any government official or institution refuses to provide information.

He said a search committee has already been formed and held a meeting. The committee will propose names for the commission, after which its members will be selected. He expressed hope that the commission would be formed within one month.

The adviser said the commission would be an independent statutory body and its members could not be removed at the government’s discretion. A provision similar to the process for removing judges would apply to the commission members, he added.

On misinformation, Ur Rahman said he himself had been a victim of disinformation and alleged that much of it was being spread through mainstream media. He urged everyone to remain cautious about misleading information and statements taken out of context.

Responding to questions about the ongoing power and fuel crisis, he blamed the previous Awami League government for creating the problems, saying the current government had no responsibility for the crisis.

He said the main problem was supply and that field-level administration had little scope to resolve it, but officials had a responsibility to explain the situation to the public and communicate the facts.

The adviser also said the performance of different ministries would be evaluated every six months as part of ensuring government accountability.

The interim government removed Abdul Malek and Commissioner Shahidul Alam from their posts in September 2024. The commission subsequently remained without a full set of commissioners.

So, as of August 2026, the new commission promised by the information adviser would effectively come after nearly two years without a fully functioning commission.