Former ambassador and secretary Muhammad Zamir is set to be appointed as chief information commissioner (CIC).
Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad yesterday announced the decision at a seminar styled “One Year of Enactment of Right to Information (RTI) Act: Present Status and Future Work Plan” at the National Press Club.
An official announcement would soon be made, said the minister.
Present at the meeting, Muhammad Zamir sought cooperation from all to ensure successful and effective implementation of the RTI Act.
He said RTI is the key component of ensuring rights. He requested the government to build capacity of the three-member information commission and other institutions to establish people's right to information.
Former secretary Mohammad Abu Taher and Prof Sadeka Halim of Dhaka University are the other two commissioners. The Information Commission is now functioning from the Department of Archaeology building in Agargaon.
The position of chief information commissioner fell vacant since the retirement of M Azizur Rahman, who was appointed as the first information commissioner on July 1, 2009.
Muhammad Zamir is a former ambassador of Bangladesh to many countries including some of the Middle East. He was also a head of OIC political division.