Shocked and saddened by Naem Nizam’s resignation: Mahfuz Anam
Sampadak Parishad President Mahfuz Anam has said that he was shocked and saddened by the news of Naem Nizam's resignation as general secretary of the parishad.
Earlier on Tuesday, Naem Nizam resigned from the post citing Mahfuz Anam's "unethical activities and violation of organizational rules".
In his resignation letter, Naem Nizam also stated that he took the decision following discord with president of the Sampadak Parishad on some policy issues.
Quoting a source in the Parishad, the Bangladesh Pratidin, a newspaper edited by Naem Nizam, reported, "Parishad President Mahfuz Anam indulges in slandering by bringing baseless and motivated allegations against some [newspaper owners], ignoring the opinions of majority in the organisation. The issue led to a strong disagreement between Mahfuz Anam and Naem Nizam. The general secretary has repeatedly tried to stop Mahfuz Anam from spreading such slanders but failed."
In the statement today, Mahfuz Anam, also the editor and publisher of The Daily Star, said, "He (Naem Nizam) informed me yesterday night over the phone from New York but I am yet to receive his resignation letter."
The Daily Star editor further said that he will consult with members of the council to formulate their response.
He, however, said the policy of the council has always been to operate on the basis of consensus and there has not been a single occasion otherwise.
Mahfuz Anam went on saying, "I would like to emphasize here that I had a wonderful working relationship with him and we never had any differences of opinion in running the organisation."