Govt will not interfere in media freedom: Yasser Khan

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury today (16 June) said the present government will not interfere in media freedom and it is committed to ensuring a fully independent press.

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Media-During the Awami League Regime and the Spirit of the July Uprising," organised by the Bangladesh Association of Journalists (BAJ) at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).

"The government will not interfere in any media outlet. We want to see a free and independent media. However, freedom does not mean only speaking against the government. You should criticise us where necessary, but you should also present the government's positive achievements to the people," he said.

The state minister noted that the journalists have an important role in eliminating fascist tendencies from society and the state. He added that the government wants to maintain a constructive relationship with the media, stressing that all stakeholders must work together to advance the country.

Criticising the previous administration, Yasser Khan said many journalists had faced severe repression during what he described as a fascist regime. He said the present government is determined to erase the dark chapter and ensure an environment conducive to free and professional journalism.

The main speaker at the event, Dr Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the daily Amar Desh, said that the history of the Awami League reflects a progression from autocracy to fascism. He alleged that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman curtailed freedom and human rights and that Sheikh Hasina transformed the media into a tool of political patronage.

Mahmudur Rahman further claimed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman initiated a fascist trend by dismissing legendary editor Abdus Salam from his position. He argued that efforts to separate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Sheikh Hasina in political discourse are misguided, asserting that there is no meaningful difference between the two.

The event, chaired by BAJ President M Abdullah, also featured a keynote paper by Dr Abdul Latif Masum, former Vice-Chancellor of Patuakhali Science and Technology University.

In his paper, Dr Masum described the July uprising as a turning point in the political and social history of the country. He said that when the media loses the language of the people, the people create a new language of their own in the streets and when the media attempts to blackout reality, reality itself emerges as history and confronts authoritarianism.

He added that Bangladesh stands at the threshold of a new political and constitutional journey, with elections, institutional reforms and a new national framework ahead. In that context, he said, an independent, fearless and credible media is indispensable because democracy depends not only on periodic elections but also on the daily courage to speak the truth and question those in power.

Managing Director and Chief Editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Kamal Uddin Sabuj said the media had played a courageous role during the July mass uprising and it should continue to act responsibly in helping move the country forward.

Among others, former BFUJ President MA Aziz, DRU President Abu Saleh Akon, former National Press Club General Secretary Ilyas Khan, DRU General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel, former DRU President Ilyas Hossain, Amar Desh Managing Editor Zahed Chowdhury, former DUJ General Secretary Jahangir Alam Pradhan, former DUJ General Secretary Sardar Farid Ahmed and former DUJ Vice-President Shaheen Hasnat also addressed the discussion.