Information Adviser Mahfuz Alam on Sunday said he has been in uncertainty over his post for the past two months as political parties have been demanding the resignation of student advisers.

The last two months have been full of uncertainty for me regarding when I may have to step down. I don’t know when that moment will come,” he said.

He was speaking at a dialogue titled “Self-regulation and Complaint Mechanism in Media: Political and Policy Perspectives” held at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital. The event was organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) with support from the UK government and The Asia Foundation.

The adviser said since May, political parties have been chanting slogans demanding the resignation of student advisers, which could even be heard from his official residence.

Political parties need to ensure that those who are working here get the opportunity to work. The focus should be on how to cooperate and not create obstacles,” he added.

Speaking on the draft Journalism Protection Act, Alam said the process requires going through 18 stages from draft to bill before becoming law. Although he instructed to move forward with the process two months ago, it is still stuck at the second stage, he noted.

He further said, “While other advisers who took office in August last year are still figuring out what to do, I assumed responsibility at a time when I was faced with the uncertainty of whether I would have to resign the very next day.”

However, Alam expressed hope that the Journalism Protection Act could be enacted during the tenure of the current government.