Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam spoke at a “Meet the Press” event held today at the Sagar-Runi auditorium of the DRU in the capital. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, May 12, 2025 (BSS) – Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam today said that people of the country had breathed a ‘sigh of relief’ following the ban on the activities of Awami League as they have accepted such ban.

“The current interim government is peoples’ government but previously the Awami League had snatched the voting rights of people while people had also forgotten when they exercised their voting rights last,” he said. 

In this connection, the press secretary said the AL was banned for violating human rights and snatching voting rights of people. 

“They (AL) had curbed all the rights of the country’s people…The ban on the activities of AL has been imposed following consultations with all the parties of the mass uprising,” he added.

The Press Secretary was talking at the “Meet the Press” event at the Sagar-Runi auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) in the capital today.

Shafiqul said although the UN report had mentioned about the killing of some 1,400 people during the uprising last year, but the actual number is more than this.

“But, there is no regret among the AL men as they had labeled anyone as ‘militant’. But, now comfort has been restored among the people of Bangladesh following ban on the activities of AL,” he said.

Referring to the issue of journalists’ rights and enhancing their facilities, the Press Secretary said that the journalists unions should come forward and thus raise their voices over increasing the facilities of the journalists and media workers.

“But, our unions were busy over bagging plots in Purbachal over the last 15 years while those did not play any effective role in the interests of the journalists. They had fraud severely with the journalists,” he added.

Laying emphasis on ensuring proper salaries of the journalists to improve their living standards, the CA’s Press Secretary said that the issue is also related to the dignity of the profession, not only with the financial terms.

DRU President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mynul Hossain Sohel were present, among others, on the occasion.