TDS Desk:

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary of the chief adviser, said on Saturday that the incumbent government will not interfere with the freedom of press that the Awami League exercised during its 15 years in power.

“The freedom of the press cannot be hindered in any circumstance. We won’t do anything that will gag their voices. Otherwise, we will have no difference with the fascist Awami League,” he said while addressing a programme in Dhaka on Saturday noon.

The Jagannath University Journalists’ Association organised the discussion meeting on the role of media in the July Revolution and the future expectations.

Expressing his optimism in building the new Bangladesh upholding the spirit of the July-August mass upsurge, Shafiqul Alam, said that journalists are among the key architects of the country’s reconstruction.

“The journalists will work imbued with the spirit of the mass upsurge and it is our expectation. Otherwise, we will remain responsible to the next generation,” he said.

Claiming that the role of the journalists in the July-August mass upsurge was incomparable, he said the government is trying to find out who played what role in the revolution.

“The role of journalists in the revolution of 2024 was even more courageous than their contributions during the Liberation War of 1971,” Shafiqul Alam said.

About the irregularities of the country’s political parties, he said they must accept authentic reports, even if the reports go against their interests.

Journalists will act to find out the faults of the political parties to hold them accountable or else there will be no democracy in the country, he said.

Awami League is still engaged in hatching conspiracy home and abroad to hold the July-August revolution questionable, he said adding the then government tried to identify the agitating students as internal and external level terrorists.

Regarding extremist groups, law enforcement agencies are working to deal with them to prevent any untoward incident in the country.

He also called upon all to write down every single incident that took place during the July-August revolution.