Forum (Bangladesh)
| Forum Editor | Zafar Sobhan |
|---|---|
| Categories | newsmagazine |
| Frequency | monthly |
| Company | The Daily Star (owned by Mediastar) |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Language | English |
| Website | [1] |
Forum is a Bangladeshi English language monthly current affairs magazine. Founded in 1969 in the then East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) by human rights activist Hameeda Hossain and economist Rehman Sobhan, the magazine became renowned for its outspoken content advocating democracy and Bengali rights in Pakistan. The magazine was published by Forum Publications Ltd which was headed by Kamal Hossain, who drafted the Constitution of Bangladesh after the country gained its independence in 1971 and also went onto serve as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
Forum emerged as a leading critic of the political and military establishment of West Pakistan, demanding autonomy for East Pakistan and the greater Bengali rights in the aftermath of the 1970 general elections which were won by the Bengali dominated Awami League. After the postponement of the inaugural National Assembly session in March, 1971, Forum led the chorus of Bengali intellectuals expressing disillusionment with the military establishment and the inevitability of the break up of Pakistan. The Pakistan Army would subsequently shut down the magazine on 26th, March, 1971 during the initial hours of Operation Searchlight.
In 2006, The Daily Star, Bangladesh's largest circulating English daily newspaper, began re-publishing the magazine on a monthly basis. Zafar Sobhan serves as the executive editor of the magazine. The editorial board consists of original Forum founders Hameeda Hossain and Rehman Sobhan as well as Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star, Matiur Rahman, Editor and Publisher of Prothom Alo, and Anisuzzaman, a professor of Bengali at the University of Dhaka.
The re-vitalised edition of the magazine has attracted the leading columnists and eminent contributors from across South Asia, such as Amartya Sen, Tariq Ali and Ahmed Rashid. The magazine has gained popularity for its sophisticated editorial content and has a strong readership in Bangladesh's urban elite.
