IAB condemns attack on Star

Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) yesterday strongly condemned the attack on the office of The Daily Star.

A three-member IAB delegation, led by the party's Central Organising Secretary Shah Iftekhar Tariq voiced the criticism while visiting the The Daily Star Centre in the evening.

The two other members are Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf, central publicity secretary, and Md Elias Hasan, assistant secretary general.

"Expressing dissent through the use of force is entirely barbaric. If there is opposition, it must be expressed intellectually and through logic," Iftekhar said.

He said the attack on The Daily Star took place at a time when the country has reached a point where it is moving forward.

He said those who seek to drag the nation backward must not be given any opportunity.

"Therefore, I would like to call upon all to remember that the media is one of the key pillars in advancing a country. What we call the fourth pillar of the state cannot be dismantled if we are to build a civilised nation. Attacks on newspapers are deeply regrettable."

The IAB leader said, "We hope that the conscious citizens of the country will remain vigilant on this issue and that we will learn from this incident and move forward with greater caution. Those who are opportunistic will be carefully monitored by the state and restrained -- we firmly believe this."

Kamal Ahmed, consulting editor of The Daily Star, thanked the IAB delegation for expressing solidarity with the newspaper.

"We certainly hope that healthy debate will continue. Political differences will exist, and differing opinions are normal. Discussions will be held on them," said Kamal Ahmed.

"The kind of violence we are witnessing is in no way acceptable. If you take a strong stand against terrorism -- at home and abroad, both online and offline -- it will serve the interests of the country. We hope you will continue to play that role," he added.