State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki said on Saturday that the media faced severe restrictions during the previous 15 years, saying attempts were made to control newspapers and suppress journalists.
“Fascists strangled the press for 15 years. They tried every possible way and tactic to control the media. But under the current government, journalists can now write freely,” he said.
Saki made the remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration of the new building of Banchharampur Press Club in Banchharampur upazila of Brahmanbaria on Saturday afternoon. The building was constructed on land provided with support from the country’s leading conglomerate Bashundhara Group.
He said press freedom had been severely curtailed during the previous 15 years, alleging that the Awami League government had imposed legal, administrative and indirect pressure to restrict independent journalism.
He also claimed that Bangladesh had fallen 44 places in the global press freedom index during the period.
Maynal Hossain Chowdhury, publisher of EastWest Media Group and adviser to Bashundhara Group, recalled how he had helped local journalists secure land for the press club around 30 years ago.
“Some journalists approached me in 1995 seeking land for a press club. I forwarded their application to the Bashundhara Group Chairman, who immediately approved it and helped them purchase six decimals of land,” he said.
“We are pleased that, even after 30 years, a building has finally been constructed there. The land has been put to use, and journalists now have a new address,” he added.
Former lawmaker MA Khalek, Banchharampur upazila BNP President Krishibid Mehedi Hasan Palash, General Secretary AKM Musa, municipality BNP General Secretary Sale Musa, former VP and district BNP member Nazmul Haque, Amirul Islam Sazzad and former upazila chairman Dudh Mia Master,Bancharampur UNO Al Imran Khan among others, addressed the event.
Brahmanbaria District Press Club President Javed Rahim Bijon and General Secretary Bahar Uddin Molla also delivered speeches on journalism and welcomed the initiative.
The event was chaired by Banchharampur Press Club President Molla Mohammad Nasir and moderated by its General Secretary Shamim Shibli.
FP/A
