Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury | |
|---|---|
 Chowdhury in 2018 | |
| Born | 1 April 1949 |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Journalist and Media Advisor to Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina |
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury (1 April 1949) is a Bangladeshi journalist and the editor of The Daily Observer . He served as the media and information affairs advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for almost 5 years. [1]
Chowdhury was born in Fatehpur of Feni Sadar Upazila in Feni District. [2] He completed both his bachelor degree in political science and his masters in public administration at the University of Dhaka. [3]
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury serves as the founding editor of The Daily Observer . He had been the last editor of The Bangladesh Observer before it was shut down by its owners following reports of irregularities surrounding staff pay. [4] He is a former president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists. He also served as a member of Bangladesh Film Censor Board, Bangladesh Press Council, and National Education Policy Draft Committee. He is the chairman of the Mohammadi Group [5] and the founding chairman of DBC News. [3]
He also served as the media and information affairs advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [6] He was appointed the advisor on 11 July 2013. [7] He has said it is not possible for Bangladesh government to rule out terrorism in the Rohingya community. [8]
Iqbal Sobhan was sued by Awami League members of parliament Enamul Haque and Nizam Uddin Hazari. [9] The Feni district unit of Awami league alleged he was responsible for the press conference by Azharul Haque Arju that blamed the Awami League for the attack on Khaleda Zia's convoy in Feni. [10]
Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.
Iajuddin Ahmed was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009.
Begum Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician, who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and second female prime minister in the Muslim world, after Benazir Bhutto. She is the widow of one of the former president of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. She is the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, which was founded by her husband in 1978.
The prime minister of Bangladesh, officially prime minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the chief executive of the government of Bangladesh. The prime minister and the cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The prime minister is ceremonially appointed by the president of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh. She served in the position of prime minister for over 20 years, making her the longest-serving prime minister in history of Bangladesh. Thus, she became the world's longest-serving female head of government. Her authoritarian regime ended in self-imposed exile following an uprising in 2024.
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awami League Party formed a fourteen-party Grand Alliance including Ershad's Jatiya Party, while the BNP formed a four-party alliance which included the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami. The election was originally scheduled for January 2007, but it was postponed by a military-controlled caretaker government for an extended period of time.
The Daily Star is a Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper. It is by far the largest circulating English-language newspaper in the country. Founded by Syed Mohammed Ali on 14 January 1991, as Bangladesh transitioned and restored parliamentary democracy, the newspaper became popular for its outspoken coverage of politics, corruption, and foreign policy. It is considered a newspaper of record for Bangladesh. The newspaper has been described as having a "reputation for journalistic integrity and liberal and progressive views - a kind of Bangladeshi New York Times".
The 2006–2008 Bangladeshi political crisis began as a caretaker government (CTG) assumed power at the end of October 2006 following the end of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party administration. The BNP government increased the chief justice's retirement age in an unconstitutional way to bias the appointment of the head of the caretaker government. CTG manages the government during the interim 90-day period and parliamentary elections. Political conflict began with the alleged appointment of a Chief Adviser, a role which devolved to the President, Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed. The interim period was marked from the beginning by violent protests initiated by the Awami League named Logi Boitha Andolan, with 40 people killed and hundreds injured in the first month. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party had its own complaints about the process and the opposition.
Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, also known as Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is a Bangladeshi businessman and politician. He is a member of the Bangladesh Awami League and served as an advisor to his mother, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on information and communication technology affairs.
Fazlul Quader Chowdhury was a Bengali politician who served as the 5th speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from East Pakistan. He belonged to Ayub Khan's Convention Muslim League. He was also the acting president of Pakistan from time to time when Ayub Khan left the country. His elder brother Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury was the leader of the opposition in East Pakistan assembly. Quader was preceded by Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan of Awami League.
The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 500 injured. The attack was carried out at 5:22 pm after Sheikh Hasina, the leader of opposition had finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck. Hasina also sustained some injuries in the attack.
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh is a political party in Bangladesh founded by former President of Bangladesh and BNP parliamentarian Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury in 2004. Abdul Mannan and recent Rabaya Begum; two of the most deepest assets of BDB play the most vital role by recruiting and managing the party to promote itself towards its objectives. Their party symbol during the polls is the kula. Its current political alignment is ambiguous, and has two seats in the parliament.
Abu Jahed Mohammad Nasir Uddin, also known as A.J.M. Nasir Uddin is a Bangladeshi politician for the Awami League party and former mayor of Chittagong. He has been accused of playing a central role in the July massacre in Chittagong, orchestrated and carried out during the july revolution under Sheikh Hasina's administration.
Nizam Uddin Hazari is an Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Feni-2 constituency.
Tungipara Sheikh family of Tungipara is one of the two most prominent Bangladeshi political families, other being the Zia family. The family primarily consists of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana and their relatives. Their political involvement has traditionally revolved around the Bangladesh Awami League.
The Daily Observer is an English-language newspaper in Bangladesh. The founding editor is Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, who was formerly editor of The Bangladesh Observer.
DBC News, derived from "Dhaka Bangla", is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable news television channel, owned and operated by Dhaka Bangla Media & Communication Ltd. The founder of the channel was Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury. DBC News is headquartered in the Mohakhali neighbourhood of Dhaka.
Mamunul Haque is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and the Joint Secretary-General of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, emerged as an Islamist leader in the late 2010s, particularly following the deadliest events of the Siege of Dhaka. With an ancestral heritage of religious scholarship and political leadership from his father, Azizul Haque, he succeeded his father both as a Sheikh al-Hadith at Jamia Rahmania and as the Amir of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis. He is best known for his oratory skills and his advocacy for the establishment of an Islamic state and the integration of Islamic principles into government policies. In 2020 and 2021, he led opposition to the construction of a sculpture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and organized anti-Modi protests, which made him the undisputed Hefazat leader overnight. He faced legal challenges, including 41 cases, one of which was a treason charge, and has been imprisoned three times under the Sheikh Hasina regime. Following the fall of this regime, he participated in discussions with the President and the Chief of Army Staff, which eventually led to the formation of the Yunus ministry, which included a member from Hefazat, A F M Khalid Hossain. In addition to his political and religious activities, he has served as an adjunct professor at Asian University of Bangladesh and is the editor of Rahmani Paigam, a monthly magazine published in Dhaka.
Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, also known as C. R. Abrar, is a retired professor of International relations of the University of Dhaka, human rights activist, and executive director of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit. He is the president of Odhikar, a human rights organization.
Enam Ahmed Chowdhury is a retired secretary and former chairman of the Privatization Commission. He is an Awami League politician and former Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician.