Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, eminent journalist and 1971 veteran Ihsanul Karim Helal was laid to eternal rest with state honour at the Banani graveyard after his third namaj-e-janaza at Gulshan Society Mosque in the city.
He breathed his last at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) around 8pm on Sunday at the age of 74 as he was under life-support with multiple-organ complications.
Earlier, his first nanaj-e-janaza was held at Elenbari mosque in the city at 8am while the second nanaj-e-janaza on the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) premises at 11am as hundreds of senior government officials, journalist colleagues, admirers, relatives and family members joined it.
Prior to the namaj-e-janaza at JPC, police bugles played the last post as a smart police contingent offered him an honour guard as a valiant freedom fighter while Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka district Anisur Rahman led the ceremony.
Foreign Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud, AL Presidium Member Dr Abdur Razzaque, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Whip and AL Organizing Secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, Dhaka South City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Major General Kabir Ahammad, Chairman of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Board of Directors Martuza Ahmed, BSS Managing Director and Chief Editor and Prime Minister’s former Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Daily Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Speech Writer Md Nazrul Islam, President of BFUJ- Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Omar Faruque, former BFUJ President Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, former JPC President Saiful Alam, JPC President Farida Yasmin, MP, and General Secretary Shyamal Dutta, Sajjadul Hasan, MP, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam, Director Generals and press wing officials of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and other senior journalists as well as senior government officials were present on the occasion.
After performing the namaj-e-janaza and other Islamic burial rituals at the JPC, on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Military Secretary Major General Kabir Ahammad, on behalf of PMO, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, on behalf of AL, its Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, on behalf of PMO Press Wing, PM’s Speech Writer Md Nazrul Islam, on behalf of State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, his Personal Secretary Md Tofazzal Hossain paid rich tributes to Karim by placing wreaths on his coffin.
Later, leaders of JPC, BFUJ, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), DUJ BSS Unit, BSS Employees Union, officials of BSS, Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) and Channel i, leaders of Bangabandhu Sangbadik Parishad, Editors Guild and Samprity Bangladesh as well as officials of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) also paid homage to the valiant freedom fighter.
Born in November, 1949 to a respectable Muslim family in Kushtia district, he obtained his master’s degree in economics from Dhaka University and Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the same university and Post Graduate degree on Development Journalism from IIMC.
Karim joined the Liberation War in 1971 and fought in the western frontier as a member of the Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF).
On June 15, 2015, he was appointed as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s press secretary for one year on contract basis and the appointment was extended for three years on June 16 in 2016. His appointment as the PM’s press secretary was extended for another three years from June 18, 2019.
Prior to his appointment in the PMO, Karim served as the press secretary to the President and ahead of that, he served as the chief editor and managing director of national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), where he made his debut in the career as a staff reporter in 1972.
He also served as New Delhi correspondent of BSS in India for five years.
During his long career in journalism, Karim also served several foreign media like Bangla service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and Press Trust of India (PTI) as Bangladesh correspondent.
