Journalist Raushan uz Zaman passes away

Raushan uz Zaman, one of Bangladesh's most celebrated journalists, passed away today at his Uttara residence this afternoon after a suffering from prolonged respiratory ailments.

He was 70.

"He breathed his last at his own house at sector 7 of Uttara and his health condition became critical since yesterday," a family member said, adding he left behind three daughters, a son and his wife along with a large number of friends and admirers to mourn his death.

The family member said they planned to bury him at Sector 4 graveyard in Uttara early tomorrow after namaj-e-janaza at the adjoining mosque at 10 am.

Raushan has been suffering for the past several years for respiratory complications and was last treated at Uttara's Crescent Hospital for over a month. He returned home recently.

Raushan made his debut in the profession as the Dhaka University correspondent of the national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha (BSS) after 1971 independence and later became its full time correspondent. He served the French news agency AFP for many years simultaneously and wrote for a number of other foreign publications.

He was one of the organisers of the UNB news agency in the private sector, served as the contributing editor of the Weekly Courier and retired from active journalism after serving the New Age as its associate editor.

Hailing from Rajbari district, Raushan also worked for the Financial Express and the weekly Holiday. Respected and loved irrespective of age, Raushan is a mentor to many journalists of the country. He also won a French fellowship.

Jatiya Press Club President Saiful Alam and general secretary Farida Yasmin in a statement mourned the death of the club's senior member. They also prayed for eternal peace of his soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.