SJF Secy General Honoured for Mother Tongue Journalism

Md Abdur Rahman, Central Secretary General of the SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF), has been honoured for his outstanding contributions to the promotion of journalism in mother tongues across South Asia.

He received a crest from the Speaker of Nepal's House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire, who attended as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Mother Tongue Journalism 2025, held in Kathmandu.

The two-day conference, organised by the Newa National Journalists' Association in association with the SAARC Journalist Forum and the Federation of Nepal Indigenous Journalists (FONIJ), concluded recently with the adoption of a seven-point resolution aimed at safeguarding linguistic diversity and empowering native-language journalism.

The conference was inaugurated on 13 June by Speaker Devraj Ghimire and concluded on 14 June by Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Mayor Surendra Shrestha. In his closing remarks, Mayor Shrestha commended the organisers for hosting a timely and significant event, saying the conference had played a key role in advancing the cause of mother tongue journalism in the region.

At the closing session, chaired by Nripendra Lal Shrestha, President of the SAARC Journalist Forum, Raju Lama urged all SAARC nations to give serious attention to the adopted resolutions and extend full support for future initiatives to preserve and promote native-language media.

The event also featured speeches from prominent regional media figures, including FONIJ President Lucky Chaudhary, SJF Bihar Chapter President Shashi Bhushan Kumar (India), Conference Coordinator Sunil Maharjan, and NFNJ Secretary General K.K. Manandhar. All speakers stressed the urgency of protecting indigenous languages through journalism and media policy.

Md Abdur Rahman, representing Bangladesh, was specially recognised for his longstanding advocacy and leadership in promoting journalism in mother tongues, both at the national and regional levels. His recognition was considered a symbolic nod to the growing importance of cultural and linguistic inclusivity in South Asian media landscapes.

The conference resolution called for greater regional collaboration, institutional support, policy reforms, and annual forums to strengthen the role of mother tongue journalism in democratic societies.