British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Sarah Cooke met with Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon at his office in the Secretariat today. Photo: PID

DHAKA, May 21, 2026 (BSS)- Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has said the present government is committed to ensuring the freedom of media.

“The government is determined to ensure media freedom. To this end, work has already begun to form a Media Commission,” he said.

He made the remarks when British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Sarah Cooke paid a courtesy call on him at his office in the Secretariat today.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury, MP was present at that time.

The minister sought cooperation from the United Kingdom in this regard.

During the meeting, Sarah Cooke congratulated Zahir Uddin Swapon on assuming charge as information and broadcasting minister.

The minister expressed interest in utilizing the experience of the UK media regulatory authority Office of Communications (Ofcom), saying “Ofcom’s experience can be utilized in formulating media sector policies in Bangladesh.”

The British High Commissioner assured the minister of giving all necessary cooperation in this regard and informed him about the overall activities of Ofcom.

Later, Swiss Ambassador in Bangladesh Reto Renggli paid a courtesy call on the information minister at his office.

During the meeting, the Swiss Ambassador also congratulated Zahir Uddin Swapon on assuming his new responsibility.

The information minister said, the government is committed to ensuring media freedom. At the same time, we want to protect people from misinformation and disinformation.

To address the challenge, he stressed the importance of Switzerland’s modern experience and technological assistance.

At the meeting, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury said, “While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened up new possibilities in the world today, it has also created a major global challenge in the fields of information verification and security.”

He called on all concerned to work together in addressing the challenge.

At the same time, the state minister invited the Swiss ambassador to invest in Bangladesh’s potential sectors.