Staff Correspondent

A roundtable discussion on 'National Unity and Present Reality ' was held at the Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club on Wednesday at 11 am at the initiative of the Regional Editors' Council.

The program began with the welcome speech of the General Secretary of the organization, Azibar Rahman.

Salahuddin Ahmed, Member, National Standing Committee, Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP) was present as the chief guest at the program. The chief guest presented his speech on the freedom of expression in the media across the country and the freedom of editors and journalists to work.

He also said that the Awami League will not be able to do politics again in Bangladesh in the name of the Awami League. We are raising that voice.

Addressing the interim government, Salahuddin Ahmed said, on the one hand, you want the Awami League to be banned from politics, and on the other hand, you will not try them, you will use the police to disrupt their programs, such self-contradiction is not right.

We want to make it clear that the people of this country have rejected the Awami League through a revolutionary mass uprising. We are demanding justice for their genocide and crimes against humanity as a political organization. He assured the editors and journalists across the country of efforts to solve the problems in their work.

He praised the activities of the Regional Editors' Council and assured cooperation in this organization working with editors across the country.

Salahuddin Ahmed mentioned the national unity of the country and the current reality and said that along with reforms in the country, preparation for elections is necessary and all parties except the fascist Awami League, regardless of party, opinion, and reality, must work for the country by building national unity. Fascism must be eradicated.

As a discussant at the event, the heroic freedom fighter Adv. Fazlur Rahman, Advisor to the BNP Chairperson delivered the speech.

President of the Regional Editors' Council Khaled Saifullah Khan praised its activities and said about national unity and the current reality that everyone in this country participated in the second war of independence against fascism. However, after this second independence, we have to be ready for a quick election. Because in all areas, anarchy and unrest are increasing in the country, people are not getting a place to seek justice for any problem.

Among the discussants, Erfanul Haque Nahid, Organizing Secretary, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists) said that national unity is the current reality. He thanked the President of the Regional Editors' Council for today's discussion program and said that the jobs of journalists from newspapers and TV stations across the country who were dismissed due to party reasons in the past will be restored. The institutions that have been closed in the media will be opened very soon.

In this discussion meeting, President of the Regional Editors' Council Khaled Saifullah Khan presented his speech. He highlighted the importance of organizing events on national unity and current reality through various arguments. Editors of various newspapers across the country have been enduring torture and deprivation for these 17 years. He formed this organization to solve the problems of those editors who have been running their newspapers through revenge.

This organization is trying to conduct its activities across the country. In the current situation, the issue of national unity and current reality will be discussed and resolved through discussion events all over the country, highlighting the independence of editors and newspapers, and all parties, regardless of their views, will unite to build a beautiful Bangladesh by holding fair elections in the country. Principal M.A. Monayem, (Co-Editor, Daily Press Journal) also attended the discussion.

He highlighted the various obstacles and dangers he faced while bringing out his newspaper and Liaquat Ali Khan, (Co-Editor, Noakhali Sophal Barta) also said that today's discussion topic is very important in the present time. He gave his speech, talking about the various strategies of the previous government party to close his newspaper and about the oppression he faced. Zia Ahmed (Deputy Editor, Bangladesh Somoy ). In this discussion, he talked about the freedom of journalists to work. And thanked the Regional Editors' Council for today's discussion. Sujan Ahmed, News Editor of Daily Asian Age, wished the success of the Regional Editors' Council.

Azibar Rahman, Editor, Daily Rajshahir Alo, expressed his gratitude to the Regional Editors' Council. He expressed his hope that editors from all over the country will benefit from this organization.

In addition, the organization's Rreasurer Mashreka Jahan Mona and Member Hossain Ahmed were present at the discussion.

Md. Jamal Uddin Mir recited the Quran. Md. Selim Parvez, Editor of Daily Ekusher Alo, moderated the program. The president of the Regional Editors' Organization declared the program closed with a closing speech.