The Bangladesh Observer

The Bangladesh Observer, founded by Hamidul Huq Choudhury in 1949, is the oldest continuously published English language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, whose tumultous history mirrors the history of the land and people it represents.

Since its inception as The Pakistan Observer in 1949, the newspaper has consistently followed an independent editorial policy. Mohammad Shehabullah was its first editor who was succeeded by Abdus Salam. The East Pakistan provincial government imposed an embargo on the newspaper's publication under the represive Public Safety Act in February 1952 in response to the newspaper's strong support for the East Pakistan language movement and demands for provincial autonomy. Hamidul Huq Choudhury and Abdus Salam were also arrested at this time by the Pakistan Government to stiffle the voice of the press. The United Front government withdrew the embargo on its publication in May 1954. At that time Abdul Ghani Hazari took charge as managing editor of the paper. In the early 1960s, the paper was black-listed and deprived of government advertising because of its strident calls for autonomy for East Pakistan.

Immediately after the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, The Pakistan Observer was renamed The Bangladesh Observer in December 1971. Management of the The Bangladesh Observer was taken over by the Bangladesh government in January 1972. As the result of an editorial titled "The Supreme Test" published in March 1972, Abdus Salam was dismissed and Obaidul Haq assumed the position of editor. The military government of General Ershad restored the newspapwer to its rightful owner Hamidul Huq Choudhury in January 1984. KMA Munim was appointed as editor of the newspaper in August 1984. Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury has been serving as editor since 1998.

[Memoirs. Hamidul Huq Chowdhury. Associated Printers (1989).]

References

External links

http://search.com.bd/banglapedia/HT/B_0228.htm