A group is exploiting freedom of speech for indecency and falsehood: Mahdi Amin

Warning against propaganda carried out under the guise of freedom of speech, Mr. Mahdi Amin, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson for her office, said a group of miscreants is exploiting the opportunity of free speech to spread various propaganda and use indecent language to incite people. He said the law will, in its own course, take strict action against those spreading extreme indecency and falsehood in the name of free speech. He made these remarks yesterday, Monday, at a programme held at the Bangla Academy premises on the occasion of the “Zia Smriti Book Fair 2026.” The programme was organised by the Zia Smriti Pathagar and the Jatiyatabadi Prokashana Sangstha to mark BNP’s 48th founding anniversary.

Addressing leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal, the Prime Minister’s Advisor said a merit-based, prosperous Bangladesh must be built by upholding the ideals of Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman, the uncompromising struggle of former Prime Minister and Desh Neteri Begum Khaleda Zia, and the modern statecraft vision of the current Prime Minister, Mr. Tarique Rahman. He said that with a patriotic student organisation like Chhatra Dal standing alongside, no anti-state force could stop Bangladesh’s forward march.

He said that in Bangladesh’s political history, BNP is the only party that has stood by the people in every national crisis. History bears witness, he said, that whenever democracy has been endangered in Bangladesh, BNP has led the fight to restore it. Just as Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party democracy after the Baksal period, Desh Neteri Begum Khaleda Zia ended autocratic rule and restored parliamentary democracy. And after a long period of fascist rule, under the leadership of the nation’s beloved leader, Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman, the country is once again consolidating democratic Bangladesh today.

Calling BNP’s role in the history of free speech and in modern state reform unique and historic, the Prime Minister’s Advisor Mr. Mahdi Amin said Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman restored press freedom in the country by opening up all media outlets that had been shut down, replacing a situation where only four state-run newspapers had existed. Later, during the tenure of Desh Neteri Begum Khaleda Zia, the country began reaping the benefits of open media and modern information technology. He said the present democratic government is working to create an environment where fundamental rights, the rule of law, and freedom of expression will be fully guaranteed.

Referring to BNP’s self-respecting foreign policy, Mr. Mahdi Amin said that whenever BNP has been in power, it has always broken away from a submissive foreign policy and maintained an independent and sovereign stance. He said Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, through strong leadership in SAARC and the OIC, raised the dignity of the red-and-green flag on the world stage. Under the visionary leadership of current Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman, that self-respecting tradition has returned once again, he said, citing his heroic receptions in major powers such as Malaysia and China as proof.

He said Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman and BNP represent an entity deeply intertwined with our existence and identity. “We say with great pride that we belong to the party whose founder, Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman, was the great proclaimer of Bangladesh’s independence,” he said. Had he not, at extreme risk to his life, made that historic declaration of independence on 26 March 1971, Bangladesh’s path to independence might have been considerably longer, he said, adding that Ziaur Rahman did not stop merely at declaring independence but, as a heroic sector commander, took part directly in the battlefield fighting of the Liberation War.

The Prime Minister’s Advisor Mr. Mahdi Amin remarked that BNP, as a single organisation, gave the most blood and sacrifice in the 16-year-long anti-fascist movement and the July mass uprising. He said more than 420 BNP leaders and activists were martyred for the country during the July mass uprising, of whom more than 140 were from Chhatra Dal alone as a single organisation. This, he said, is the greatness of BNP’s politics and the true strength of Chhatra Dal.

Explaining Bangladeshi nationalism, Mr. Mahdi Amin said that regardless of religion, race, tribe, class, opinion, path, or ideology, building this country together, shoulder to shoulder and with love, on democratic ideals, is what constitutes Bangladeshi nationalism. Under this philosophy, every person’s equal rights, freedom of speech, and religious freedom will remain inviolable, while the state will ensure equality, human dignity, and social justice for every citizen.

Noting that alongside protecting the rights of people of all religions and races, BNP has maintained the utmost respect for and confidence in the religious sentiments of the majority Muslim community, the Prime Minister’s Advisor said it was under BNP founder Martyred President Mr. Ziaur Rahman that “Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim” and unwavering faith in Almighty Allah were incorporated into the constitution. Later, Desh Neteri Begum Khaleda Zia respectfully involved religious scholars and clergy in state administration. And at present, on the Prime Minister’s instructions, imams, muezzins, khatibs, and religious leaders of all faiths are being given due respect and state honour.

On the driving forces of Bangladesh’s economy, he said Martyred Ziaur Rahman was the principal architect of the two main pillars — the garment sector and export of manpower abroad. He said Zia laid the foundation on which the country’s economy has stood for nearly five decades, and that initiatives such as canal excavation, the green revolution, formation of village governments, and decentralisation of power have today taken a more modern shape under the Prime Minister’s leadership. He said the current government’s introduction of the “Krishok Card” and “Family Card” is essentially a continuation of BNP’s people-oriented politics.

At the programme, moderated by Chhatra Dal Central Organising Secretary Mr. Aman Ullah Aman, other speakers included Food Minister Ms. Afroza Khanam Rita; Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Central Coordinator Advocate Mr. Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas; BNP Joint Secretary General Mr. Syed Emran Saleh Prince; Zia Smriti Pathagar Central Committee Joint General Secretary Ms. Mahmuda Habiba; BNP Executive Committee Swechchhasebak Dal Co-editor Mr. Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel; Chhatra Dal former Central General Secretary Mr. Saif Mahmud Jewel; and Zia Smriti Pathagar Central Committee General Secretary Mr. Md. Zahir Dipti, among others.