Government has extended the contract of Abul Kalam Azad for three more years as the Managing Director and Chief Editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the national news agency of the country.According to a Public Administration Ministry notification the tenure of his contract was extended for the next three years.A career journalist Azad, who previously served as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s Press Secretary, was earlier appointed as the chief of the national news agency in February 2014 with the status of a secretary to the government.Azad worked as the Premier`s Press Secretary from 2009 to 2014. Earlier, he was the Press Minister at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington.Before becoming the Press Secretary of the Prime Minister, he worked as the Press Secretary of Awami League President and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament after returning from Washington in 2002.Azad made his debut as a journalist with the Dainik Ittefaq in 1973. He was elected as general secretary and president of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and subsequently the president and secretary general of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ).During his student life in Dhaka University, Azad was a member of Central Executive Committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). He was also Dhaka Divisional Treasurer of all-party Chhatra Sangram Parishad during the mass upsurge in 1969.Besides being a member of Syndicate and Senate of Dhaka University, Azad was member of Syndicate of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, board of directors of Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and Press Council. He is also associated with many social and cultural organizations.Azad is a member of National Committee of Bangabandhu Parishad and President of its Munshiganj District unit.Source: BSS