Veteran Journalist ABM Musa is no more. Put on life support on Tuesday he was declared dead early Wednesday afternoon. He was 83.
ABM Musa who underwent heart bypass operation over 5 years ago was put on life support at the Labaid Hospital. “He was declared dead around 1.15pm on Wednesday,” said the hospital’s media officer Zahid Hasan.
The veteran journalist was admitted there two weeks ago with age related complications. The Ekushey Award recipient had a multi-dimensional experience in journalism, with a career spanning 60 years in the profession.Born in Feni, in 1931, Musa was elected an MP in the first national election of independent Bangladesh. He was exceptionally outspoken on political issues for the last few years, especially during the last general election held amid a strong opposition movement waged for holding elections under a non-partisan caretaker government.
He launched himself in journalism at the age of 19 by joining ‘Dainik Insaaf’. He then went over to ‘The Pakistan Observer’.
Musa then joined ‘Sangbad’ when ‘The Pakistan Observer’ closed down during the 1952 Language Movement.
But he was back at ‘The Pakistan Observer’ with the paper resuming publication in 1954, and was with it until 1971, first as a reporter and later as its news editor.
During the 1971 War of Independence, Musa worked for the BBC and the Sunday Times.
After independence, he worked as director general of the state-owned Bangladesh Television and editor for ‘Morning News’.
Musa joined the UN ESCAP in Bangkok in 1978.
Musa was director general of the Bangladesh Press Institute from 1981 to 1985, and general manager and chief editor of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha from 1985 to 1987.
He served as editor at the ‘Daily Jugantar’ briefly in 2004. – Agencies
