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Published : 30 Jun 2026, 04:17 PM
The government will issue warnings to media outlets that broadcast an interview with ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, according to Prime Minister's Information Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman.
He said, "Broadcasting such content is contrary to the court's directive. Media organisations should respect the law and the judiciary and refrain from airing such material."
Rahman made the remarks on Tuesday while responding to questions from journalists during a briefing at the Department of Information at the Secretariat.
He said there is a court order prohibiting the broadcast of Hasina's statements. However, several domestic media outlets recently aired one of her interviews, and the matter drew the government's attention.
Regarding the government's response, he said: "Initially, the media organisations concerned will be warned, and the Ministry of Information will also formally notify them."
However, he added that the government is not taking a hardline approach at this stage but has urged media organisations to comply with the court's directive.
"We hope that the country's media will respect the law and the judiciary by refraining from broadcasting such content. In today's technological era, people can access information through foreign media or online platforms. However, that does not make it legally permissible for domestic media to rebroadcast the material," he said.
Rahman also said that broadcasting such content remains inappropriate as long as the court's ban is in force. He indicated that the government may consider taking further action in the future if necessary.
Responding to a question about the possibility of the Awami League operating under a new or "reformed" name, Rahman said:
"As long as the Awami League's political activities remain banned, the party will not be allowed to conduct political programmes under any name, whether it is 'Reformed Awami League,' 'Grassroots Awami League,' or any other title."
"The government's position is clear. The ban on the Awami League's political activities remains in force under the amended provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. Although many ordinances issued by the interim government have not been retained as law, this amendment remains in effect, reflecting the government's position."
On the party's political future, Rahman said that the final decision on whether the Awami League will remain banned rests with the courts. Until such a decision is made, the government's view is that the ban on the party's political activities should remain in place.
Speaking about local government elections, he said: "At present, no political party is officially participating in these elections. Previously, chairman and mayoral elections were held under party symbols, but that system has been abolished. As a result, the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, the Awami League, or any other party is not contesting the elections in an official party capacity."
Rahman also said that the government is investigating the apparent coordinated display of flags bearing the Kalema or Islamic declaration of faith in different parts of the country.
"I will not go into detail, but the government has taken note of the matter and is looking into it. There is no reason to believe the government is connected to this. Rather, we are investigating why this is happening, because in some cases it has the potential to send the wrong message internationally, and we are aware of that," he said.
"We want to take appropriate action, and I have personally drawn the home minister’s attention to the matter. We hope this will not continue."
He further commented that there is "certainly a specific plan" behind these incidents and added, "That is exactly what we are investigating, and Allah willing, we will be able to determine what is behind it."
