Chief Advisor’s Aide Slams Selective TV Licensing

Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, remarked that television licenses in Bangladesh have previously been granted to a wide range of individuals — from leaders of the Soldiers’ League to poultry farm owners.

He made the comment in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, October 8.

Azad wrote, “Two new TV channels have been granted licenses. Prothom Alo reported on this yesterday. It was a good report. What I liked most is that we can now even use this report as a symbol of media freedom in Bangladesh.”

He added, “People are generally interested in knowing who gets television licenses. From that perspective, the report is appropriate. It also reveals that 50 TV channels have been licensed so far in Bangladesh, with 36 currently in operation.”

The Deputy Press Secretary continued, “Many people already have a rough idea about who owns these 36 channels. The Media Reform Commission clearly mentioned their names in its report. From the president of the Soldiers’ League to poultry farm owners, many have received licenses. Leaving aside ruling party MPs and their relatives, a large number of people obtained TV licenses mainly by leveraging political connections.”

He further stated, “We hope that the media will use its current freedom responsibly — reporting not only any irregularities that occur now but also shedding light on stories they couldn’t cover in the past due to lack of freedom. Such independence of the press is essential for ensuring transparency in our society.”

In conclusion, Azad observed, “Our media previously remained silent about these matters. Either they lacked the will, or they lacked the freedom. The reason they can now report freely is that the media has finally been given the opportunity to do so.”