M Humayun Kabir: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reiterated that the government firmly believes in freedom of press.
She urged the journalists to play a constructive and responsible role that will be helpful for the development of the country, reports The Daily Star.
“The government firmly believes in freedom of press, but attention needs to be given [to the fact] so that no one could use this with childish attitude,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while distributing assistance among journalists from Bangladesh Journalists’ Welfare Trust at a function at her office.
Regarding criticisms against her, Sheikh Hasina said she cares little who writes what against her.
“I think little about who writes in favour of me and who writes against me. What I always think is whether I’ve the confidence while I go for doing any work and whether I made the right decision. I walk with my own confidence,” she said.
A total of 113 journalists suffering from various diseases and financially insolvency and family members of the journalists who have died in different incidents were given the financial assistance.
Information Minister and Chairman of the Trust Hasanul Haq Inu chaied the function, addressed, among others, by PM’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on information Ministry AKM Rahmatullah, President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Molla Jalal and secretary general Shaban Mahmud, President of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Abu Jafar Surjo and General Sectary Sohel Haider Chowdhury, Information Secretary Abdul Malek and PIB Director General Shah Alamgir.