'Many of you, on your own initiative, supported fascism over the past 15 years'

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said his party is committed to ensuring a free and independent press if voted to power in the next national election.

Speaking at a views-exchange meeting organised by the Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka, Fakhrul said BNP's 31-point outline includes a pledge to form a commission for independent media.

He criticised divisions among journalist unions such as BFUJ and DUJ, saying these have made journalists partisan.

He said political parties do not want journalists to become partisan or remain in their pockets. "When you willingly put yourselves in politicians' pockets, it becomes a problem…We have seen that over the past 15 years, many of you, on your own initiative, have supported fascism. We have seen it, and the people of this country have seen it."

Fakhrul called for independent journalism to follow professional ethics.

He added that although the interim government had formed a media reform commission, its report has not been discussed. If BNP is elected, he said, the party will take the issue as a priority.

Panelists at the programme focused on media freedom and the protection of journalists. Fakhrul said reforms must be linked to the broader structure of the state, stressing that the media cannot be treated as an isolated sector.

"If we are elected by the people and can form the government, your proposals will be given priority," he said regarding BJC recommendations for media.

Recalling history, Fakhrul said the Baksal system in 1975 shut down all newspapers except four, leaving them under government control. He credited BNP founder Ziaur Rahman with restoring press freedom and allowing newspapers to operate independently.