LEGAL NOTICE:
On 26 May 2006 the Guardian and Dilpazier Aslam confirmed they had reached agreement for the final settlement of an Employment Tribunal claim following the early termination of Mr Aslam's contract as a trainee reporter with the Guardian in July 2005. No admission of liability was made, and the terms of the agreement will remain confidential.
Trainee journalist Dilpazier Aslam had his contract with the Guardian terminated today.
The move followed an internal inquiry into Aslam's membership of the political organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir.
A statement said: "The Guardian now believes continuing membership of the organisation to be incompatible with his continued employment by the company."
"Mr Aslam was asked to resign his membership but has chosen not to. The Guardian respects his right to make that decision but has regretfully concluded that it had no option but to terminate Mr Aslam's contract with the company."
The inquiry followed a piece written by Aslam for the Guardian's comment pages entitled "We rock the boat".
The statement added: "The Guardian accepts that it should have explicitly mentioned Mr Aslam's membership of Hizb ut-Tahrir at the end of his comment piece."
A correction will appear in the paper's Corrections and Clarifications column.
Aslam said: "I am shocked by the manner in which this whole affair has been handled. My treatment throws up issues which will be of grave concern to all journalists. I am currently taking legal advice."
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