Abul Kalam Azad (born 1 March 1939) is former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the

Jamalpur-1 Jamalpur-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2008 by Abul Kalam Azad of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Baksiganj and Dewanganj upazilas. History The cons ...

constituency. He is also a former information and cultural affairs minister of Bangladesh.

Career

From 2009 to 2012, Azad served as the Minister of Information.

Controversies

;Censorship In 2009, when Azad was inaugurated as the minister of information, he promised journalists that the government would ensure

right to information The Right to Information (RTI) is an act of the Parliament of India which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens' right to information. It replaced the former Freedom of information act of 2002 (India), Freedom of Information Act ...

and

freethinking Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

in Bangladesh and sought "constructive criticism" from editors in the print and electronic media. However, in 2010, he changed his stance and ordered that the government would enact a law to curb what he term " yellow journalism". Analysts say such laws were only enacted to curb the freedom of the press and dissident voices. The Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Abul Kalam Azad, said "pornography has spread like a disease in Bangladesh". ;Intra-party feud In 2015, Azad was sent a

show cause order An order to show cause is a type of court order that requires one or more of the parties to a case to justify, explain, or prove something to the court. Courts commonly use orders to show cause when the judge needs more information before decidi ...

by his own party, the Bangladesh Awami League for working against party policy and supporting a rebel candidate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azad, Abul Kalam Living people 1939 births Awami League politicians Information ministers of Bangladesh Cultural Affairs ministers of Bangladesh 9th Jatiya Sangsad members 10th Jatiya Sangsad members 11th Jatiya Sangsad members Place of birth missing (living people)