& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

PM'S DIALOGUE ON MILITANCY

Journalists oppose bid to control media

BDNEWS, Dhaka
Pro-BNP journalist leaders yesterday opposed the government move to bring amendment to the Press Council Act aimed at controlling the journalists and the media.
They met Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at her office yesterday and urged the government not to interfere in the freedom of the press.
"Government should not interfere in the freedom of the press for a handful of persons allegedly abusing the freedom," said Shawkat
Mahmud, general secretary of the Jatiya Press Club, during the meeting.
Earlier, the leaders of proopposition Bangladesh Federal
Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and all its front organisations strongly
opposed the efforts to enact a law to control the journalists and the media.
They also warned the government that the journalists' community of the country would never
SEE PAGE 15 COL 6 FROM PAGE 16
accept such a law on the Press Council.
The government has a plan to bring amendment to the Press Council Act for empowering the council to provide higher punishment for offences of the media persons.
Press Council Chairman Justice Abu Sayeed Ahammed also suggested amendment to the section 12(1) of the act.
He said under 12(1) of the Press Council Act, there is a provision to warn, rebuke and reprimand the editor or journalist of a newspaper or a news agency if he/she resorts to professional misconduct or violates any guideline of journalism.
The press council chairman also recommended inclusion of punitive provisions to the act to make the council stronger and effective.
UNB adds: The prime minister during the meeting with journalist leaders urged the media to play responsible role through their writings and broadcasts to discourage terrorism, saying bomb terrorism will not continue many more days and will have to stop.
The journalist leaders gave suggestions individually on how to combat terrorism.
News Today editor and Jatiya Press Club President Reazuddin Ahmed suggested constituting a committee at grassroots level with social and religious leaders, public representatives and political leaders to raise public opinion against the militants and find out the people linked with the militants.
DUJ President Elahi Newaz Khan expressed doubt about the existence of JMB, saying that ahead of the general elections such a path of violence has been chosen by a vested quarter in a planned way in the name of JMB.