Ihsanul Karim, the press secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, passed away in a hospital in Dhaka on Sunday night. He was 74.
He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital.
Hasan Zahid Tushar, the deputy press secretary to the premier, confirmed the matter.
BSS adds: He left behind his wife, a daughter, a son, relatives, colleagues, and admirers to mourn his death.
According to the initial plan, his namaz-e-janaza will be held at the National Press Club at 11 am on Monday where he will be given a guard of honor. He will be buried at Banani graveyard after Zohr prayers.
Born in 1951 to a respectable Muslim family in Kushtia district, Ihsanul Karim obtained his master's degree in economics from Dhaka University and a postgraduate diploma in Journalism from the same university.
Later, Karim received a postgraduate degree in Development Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). He was president of the IIMC Alumni Association, Bangladesh chapter until his death.
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 a contract basis and the appointment was extended for three years on June 16, 2016. His appointment as the PM's press secretary was extended for another three years from June 18, 2019.
Before his appointment in the Prime Minister's Office, Karim served as the press secretary to the President and ahead of that, he served as the chief editor and managing director of the 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 the Bangla service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and Press Trust of India (PTI) as Bangladesh correspondent.