Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday said the government prepared and issued the new national broadcast policy for the welfare of the media, not to suppress them.
He also said policy had no scope for the government to control media.
The minister made the remarks while briefing media about the national broadcast policy at the PID conference room at the Secretariat in the afternoon, in an effort to dispel the criticism regarding the recently approved policy.
Stating that the broadcast policy is a democratic wish of the government, he said: “The policy, however, is not a law, it is a guideline only and there are no punitive measures in it. So, the claim that the policy intends to repress the media is completely baseless and imaginary.”
“One cannot say the 1971 Liberation War was a war between India and Pakistan, so it is important to enact a system to publish or broadcast information which is parallel with our spirit of the Liberation War.”
Inu claimed that the broadcast policy was pro-journalist and the sections were beneficial for media. He said: “There is a charter of duties, every media house should follow the charter as journalists have the right to express themselves while working and have a right to media policy and no extravagant pressure is tolerable.”
“The policy was followed in line with the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and almost everybody concerned about the matter was consulted,” the minister added.
The policy suggested the government to form an Independent Broadcast Commission which would regulate the media and both public and private media would be taken under the commission, he said.
“The commission will be formed under a law which will be enacted shortly and a draft will also be prepared. Until the commission is formed, the ministry will look after the matters like before.”
The cabinet on August 4 approved the broadcast policy which prohibits television and radio from broadcasting any news that may “taint the image of the country’s law keepers and the armed forces.”
A gazette was issued on August 8 to promulgate the new policy and put it into effect.