The government yesterday (17 October) appointed Nahreen as CIC and journalists SAM Mahfuzur Rahman and Khan Mohammad Abul Hossain as information commissioners.
UNB
18 October, 2026, 04:25 pm
Last modified: 18 October, 2026, 04:32 pm
Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Prof Dr Nahreen Islam Khan said today (18 October) that the Information Commission will work for the people, not for any government or particular individual, with ensuring citizens' right to information among its top priorities.
She said the commission's initial tasks would be to ensure people's access to information, raise public awareness about its activities and make it easier for citizens to seek information.
Nahreen made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting with Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman at the Secretariat.
The government yesterday (17 October) appointed Nahreen as CIC and journalists SAM Mahfuzur Rahman and Khan Mohammad Abul Hossain as information commissioners.
Responding to questions about the appointment of a woman as CIC for the first time and the commission's future activities, Nahreen said gender should not determine how a person performs their responsibilities.
"What matters is the responsibility itself, not gender. The most important thing is to ensure equal priority for everyone in society," she said.
She noted that although the Information Commission had existed for the past 17 years, it had not been able to carry out any particularly significant work.
The CIC expressed hope that the commission, appointed under a democratic government, would function as an independent body and ensure people's right to information.
"The Information Commission is for the people. We will work for the people, not for any government or any particular individual. We will work for everyone, and our doors will remain open to all people in Bangladesh," she said.
Information Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman, who previously served as a speechwriter to the prime minister, said he had taken on a new responsibility at an independent statutory institution.
He said it was important to clarify how such an institution should function and serve the public, adding that the right to information belongs to all citizens, not just the media.
Emphasising transparency and accuracy in the flow of information, Mahfuzur Rahman said the commission would seek to promote social welfare, public welfare and the interests of the state through the transparent and responsible dissemination of accurate information.
He said the commission would play an active role in meeting people's expectations regarding access to information and stand beside citizens as they exercise that right.