''Forum'' was a Bangladeshi English-language monthly current affairs magazine. Founded in 1969 in the then

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

, by human rights activist Hameeda Hossain and economist

Rehman Sobhan Rehman Sobhan ( bn, রেহমান সোবহান; born 12 March 1935) is a Bangladeshi economist. Regarded as one of the country's top public thinkers, he is the founder of the Centre for Policy Dialogue. Sobhan is an icon of the Bangl ...

, the magazine became renowned for its outspoken criticism against the West Pakistani establishment, and advocacy of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

and economic reforms in the Pakistani union. During the political crisis and mass uprising in East Pakistan following the 1970 first democratic elections of Pakistan, Forum led the chorus of Bengali intellectuals expressing disillusionment with the Pakistani establishment and the inevitability of the breakup of Pakistan. The Pakistan Army shut down the magazine on 26 March 1971, during the early hours of

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the opera ...

. In 2006, '' The Daily Star'', Bangladesh's largest circulating English daily newspaper, began re-publishing the magazine on a monthly basis. Shah Hussain Imam served as the executive editor of the magazine. The editorial board consisted of original ''Forum'' founders Hameeda Hossain and

as well as

Mahfuz Anam Mahfuz (or Mohammed) (Harari language, Harari: መሕፉዝ, ar, محفوظ; died July 1517) was a Harari people, Harari Garad, Emir of Harar and Governor of Zeila in the Adal Sultanate. Life and reign Mahfuz led raids into the provinces of Et ...

, editor and publisher of ''The Daily Star'', Matiur Rahman, editor and publisher of

Prothom Alo ''The Daily Prothom Alo'' ( bn, প্রথম আলো) is a daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language. It is the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to National Media Survey 2018, conducte ...

, and

Anisuzzaman Anisuzzaman (18 February 1937 – 14 May 2020) was a Bangladeshi academic of Bengali literature. He was an activist who took part in the Language Movement (1952), participated in Mass Uprising (1969), and took part in the Bangladesh Liberation ...

, a professor of Bengali at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. In April 2013 the ''Forum'' published its last issue. The magazine attracted columnists and contributors from across

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

, such as

Amartya Sen Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since 1972 has taught and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States. Sen has made contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, econom ...

Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and con ...

Kuldip Nayar Kuldip Nayar (14 August 1923 – 23 August 2018) was an Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human rights activist, author and former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom noted for his long career as a left-wing political com ...

and

Ahmed Rashid Ahmed Rashid (Urdu:; born 1948 in Pakistan) is a journalist and best-selling foreign policy author of several books about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. Life and career Ahmed Rashid was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He attended Malv ...

References

External links

Website

Old copies of Forum
1969 establishments in East Pakistan 2013 disestablishments in Bangladesh News magazines published in Asia Magazines published in Bangladesh Monthly magazines published in Bangladesh Defunct magazines published in Bangladesh English-language magazines Magazines established in 1969 Magazines disestablished in 2013 {{news-mag-stub