Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has emphasised the crucial role of the media in ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance within the country.
He stated that by amplifying the voices of citizens and presenting government activities to the public, the media has become an integral part of the state structure.
The minister made these remarks while addressing an Iftar and Doa Mahfil organised by the Chattogram Press Club at the swimming pool premises of the Chittagong Club on Thursday.
Highlighting the rich journalistic tradition of the port city, Swapan noted that journalists in Chattogram possess immense potential to further strengthen the national media landscape. He called upon media professionals to work in unity to effectively utilise this potential.
Although the media is not formally recognised as a constitutional pillar of the state, the minister observed that its influence is so significant alongside the judiciary, executive, and legislature that political science frequently refers to it as the “fourth pillar” of the state.
State Minister for Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin attended the event as the main speaker. Special guests included Abu Sufian, MP for Chattogram-9; Shahjahan Chowdhury, MP for Chattogram-15; and Saeed Al Noman, MP for Chattogram-10.
The gathering also saw the presence of the Director General of the Department of Mass Communication, Md Abdul Jalil; Editor of Daily Azadi, MA Malek; and other distinguished guests.
The Iftar and Doa Mahfil was presided over by Chattogram Press Club President Zahidul Karim Kochi and moderated by its General Secretary Golam Maula Murad. The event was addressed, among others, by National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Secretary General Quader Gani, Chittagong Metropolitan Union of Journalists President Mohammad Shah Nawaz, and General Secretary Saleh Noman.
Officials from various government departments, representatives of different political parties, and journalists from both print and electronic media also attended the programme.
