The international association of writers, poets, and human rights activists, PEN Bangladesh, has elected its 2025 executive committee. Professor Dr. Shamsad Mortuza has been elected as president, and poet Jahanara Parvin has been chosen as general secretary.

The organization’s annual general meeting and election were held on Saturday, July 12, 2025, forming the new committee for the 2025–2027 term.

In the previous committee, novelist and publisher of the online news portal Bangla Tribune and English daily Dhaka Tribune, Kazi Anis Ahmed, served as president, while novelist Muhammad Mohiuddin was the general secretary.

Other key positions in the current committee include Parvez Hossain, Muhammad Muhsin, and Shamim Reza as vice-presidents; Hamim Kamrul Haque and Mohsin Habib as joint secretaries; Lovely Talukder as treasurer; Sharafat Hossain as publicity secretary; and Zahid Sohag as office secretary.

The elected executive members are Sakira Parvin, Muhammad Mohiuddin, Dr. Suraiya Farzana Hasan, Shahed Kayes, and Wasim Palash.

Notably, PEN International’s branch, initially named ‘Pakistan PEN,’ was established in 1948 after the partition. At that time, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah served as president, and Syed Ali Ahsan was the general secretary. Following Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the organization was renamed ‘PEN Bangladesh.’