BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that trust in the people’s verdict is essential for practising democracy.
Speaking at a discussion organized by the Editors’ Council at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club on Sunday, marking World Press Freedom Day 2025, Fakhrul said: “We must trust the people... we must have faith in their thoughts, their verdict, and their opinions.
"It is necessary to move away from a mindset of doubt for the sake of democracy. Our media needs to engage more in this practice. Practising democracy is vital.”
Emphasizing the BNP’s support for press freedom, he said: “It was our party that first liberated the press in 1975. Before that, all newspapers had been shut down. When president Ziaur Rahman took power, he reopened the media and granted them freedom. I can confidently say that we have worked more than anyone else for the freedom of the press.”
He continued: “We have always been, and will continue to be, in favour of press freedom—whether we are in government or not. We will never support the imposition of one’s views on others. We strongly support freedom of opinion. That is our philosophy. We will continue to fight for press freedom.”
The senior BNP leader said: “We are in a transitional period. Many things are happening—there is tension and turmoil. There is a crisis—there is no democracy. We have been fighting for 15 years for a democratic transition. The mass uprising of July 2024 has opened up an opportunity to oust a fascist regime and establish a democratic system.”
Asserting that the BNP is a pro-reform party, he added: “There is propaganda against us suggesting we oppose reforms. But we do not oppose reforms—we want elections. In fact, the concept of reform began with us. It was we who transitioned from a one-party system to a multi-party system. We also shifted from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government. Attempts to question us unnecessarily and portray us differently may carry some political motives.”
On the topic of the Liberation War, he firmly stated: “For us, the 1971 Liberation War is a matter of great importance. Our ideology revolves around it. That is what we fought for, gave our lives for, and endured unimaginable suffering for nine long months. We will not compromise on this point. Some may like it, some may not—I do not take it personally. Because that is our foundation, our core belief.”
The discussion was presided over by Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star and president of the Editors’ Council.
Other speakers included Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age; Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, editor of Manabzamin; Matiur Rahman, editor of Prothom Alo; Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya; Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon; and Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), among others.
