Noted journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey on Sunday said various local and international conspiracies continue against Bangladesh in a bid to foil the achievement of the student-led mass uprising.

“We should not think yet that we’re completely free. Because various local and international conspiracies are going on against us from home, abroad and neighbourhood,” he said.

The Executive Editor of South Asia Perspectives (a foreign policy magazine), stressed the need for figuring out the problems on the way to thwarting the conspiracies. “We have to find out where the problems are so that our enemies can understand that we couldn’t be easily defeated,” he added. 

Mushfiqul Fazal, also the Executive Director of the Washington-based Right to Freedom, made the remarks while addressing a function at the National Press Club here.

The function was arranged to discuss ‘the role and duties of the journalist community following the fall of the dictator Hasina’s government’ and to provide financial assistance to the families of five martyred journalists, who were killed during the student-led mass upsurge. 

Noting that many journalists became unemployed during the 15 years of Hasina, Mushfiqul Fazal said he doesn’t support that any media outlet should be shut down and rather a list of deprived journalists should be prepared so that they would get back their jobs and dues.

“The list should be given directly to the owners (of the media outlets) through the Information Adviser of the government, if necessary. Because, it is their (deprived journalists) due right to get their jobs back,” he said. 

Mushfiqul Fazal demanded the closed media outlets be reopened and the responsibility of the families of those who were killed and injured ones in the movement to be taken by the State. “The injured should be sent abroad for better treatment at government costs,” he said.

Acting President Poet Hasan Hafiz presided over the function, while Managing Director of Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust M Abdullah, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) President Shahidul Islam and DUJ general secretary Khurshid Alam, among others, spoke at the function.  

In the function, three families received grants as assistance.

Earlier Ansarey met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at the latter’s residence, Firoza, in the city on Saturday night.  He was an assistant press secretary to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during her 2001-2006 regime.