Even though two years have passed since a proposal was sent to the defence ministry to upgrade Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), the authorities are yet to make any headway on the matter. The defence ministry has claimed to have sent the proposal to the public administration ministry for approval, according to government sources. A senior official of the public administration ministry told The Independent that a meeting will be held soon to get approval for the proposal to upgrade ISPR, which is a department under the defence ministry. “We will approve the proposal after holding an inter-ministerial meeting on Sunday (March 15),” he said. “After getting approval from the public administration ministry, the ISPR proposal will be sent to the Finance Division for the final approval,” he added.

ISPR sent the proposal to the defence ministry on May 2018 after securing the consent of the Prime Minister. The proposal seeks to upgrade the media and news agency to a directsorate in line with Forces Goal 2030. The government has decided to reorganise ISPR since several military organisations, units, and infrastructure have grown in size and scope over the last few years.

As per the proposal, 95 posts—including a post for director-general (DG), two posts for director, seven posts for deputy director (DD), and six posts for assistant director (AD)—will be created to bolster the working of the organisation. Currently, there are only 33 posts under the existing ISPR organogram.

The DG of ISPR would be a Brigadier General, as is the case for other military directorates in the country, the proposal says.

Sources said that electronic, print, and online media units have increased over the years, but ISPR’s capabilities have not kept pace.

They also said that ISPR currently disseminates military news and information to the country's media and the general public through its four wings—the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the inter-service.

Established in 1972 by the order of the President, ISPR was tasked with serving the armed forces and other defence organisations in matters relating to information publicity and as their public and press liaison.

The department set up its first office with meagre manpower and resources in a small section of the Old High Court Building. It had only 37 personnel, including eight officers, at the time.

As its sphere of work increased, ISPR expanded to 56 personnel, including 14 officers, in 1977. Next, following an order of the Chief Martial Law Administrator’s Office in 1983, ISPR’s manpower was reduced to 33, including six Class 1 officers, in 1983. At present, ISPR is headquartered in the Dhaka Cantonment Area