New team claims to have taken charge

The new managing committee of Jatiya Press Club, formed through an impromptu "election", claimed to have taken charge yesterday.

Ashraf Ali, new joint secretary, in a press release said the new management also held a meeting with new president Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman in the chair and discussed elaborately the overall aspects of the club. The meeting was adjourned till 11:00am today.

Meanwhile, incumbent general secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed yesterday protested the claim of the "so-called" new committee taking office, saying the club's constitution had a provision of handing over charge to the elected committee through an election.

However, neither did the new president nor the new general secretary sat on their designated chairs yesterday, said journalists. Only the new president and the new treasurer got keys of their office rooms yesterday from the club staff, they said.

As the key of the general secretary's room was with Abdal Ahmed, some new officer bearers tried to enter the office of general secretary using a duplicate key, but finally they did not due to the new president's intervention.

The 17-member new team comprising pro-Awami League and pro-BNP journalists was announced after an effort to form a committee on consensus failed. There has been a stalemate at the club for the last five months over formation of the new management.

Amid this, journalists leaning to two main political parties announced names of pro-government journalist Shafiqur Rahman and pro-BNP journalist Quamrul Islam Chowhdury as the new president and general secretary respectively Thursday.

The election to the club was supposed to be held on December 30. However, the pro-government forum was not interested in the election, as pro-BNP-Jamaat journalists were in the top leadership positions.