Hasnat: Bangladesh media must counter Indian propaganda

Hasnat Abdullah, a central coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, has called on Bangladesh’s media to actively counter the anti-Bangladesh propaganda being spread by certain Indian media outlets.

He made these remarks to the press after attending a reception ceremony on Saturday at the Laksam Pilot High School ground in Comilla.

He said: "Indian media outlets are spreading hatred through propaganda. In response, our country's media must play a conscious role. We must highlight that there is no Hindu-Muslim animosity in our country, but religious harmony, and the media should focus more on this. At the same time, counter-propaganda cells should be formed to combat the propaganda being spread by certain Indian media outlets, and the media in our country must be actively present in this regard."

Speaking about the return of the Awami League to politics, Hasnat Abdullah further said: "The decision regarding whether the Awami League will be banned or not was made on 5 August. When the leader of the party, Hasina, falls and flees, and the party still carries the blood of 2,000 martyrs, the question of whether the party will be rehabilitated or not has already been determined on 5 August.”

He added: “The issue is not whether the Awami League will be rehabilitated but whether there will be justice for the martyrs of the July public movement and for the victims of enforced disappearances and murders. Until justice is served, the question of the rehabilitation of the Awami League is irrelevant. What they have done in the past 16 years cannot be repaid, even if they are imprisoned for a thousand years."

Regarding the statement by GM Quader on the banning of the Awami League, Hasnat Abdullah said: "Until justice for the Awami League is ensured, the discussion by the Jatiya Party is another form of fascism. It is on the back of the Jatiya Party that fascism has taken root and flourished. If the Jatiya Party thinks that by staying in the mainstream for a few days before and after the movement, it will gain support, they are mistaken.”

He added: “The Jatiya Party is a collaborator of the Awami League. They will be recognized in history as such—an ally of the Awami League, indifferent to students and citizens."