Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said he does not want to see any hostility between the government and the media. “I don’t want any confrontation and I want to see a cordial relations with the media," Quader said in reply to a question after a meeting with a group of journalist leaders at the Secretariat. Quader, who doubles as Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said he met the leaders in his capacity as the general secretary of the ruling party. He said the leaders raised with him some issues regarding the newspaper industry, withdrawal of a case against journalist Rozina Islam, media rights and some other demands. Talking about Rozina’s case and other demands Quader, said “A ministry concerned is there to settle the issue. Besides, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Home Ministry and Law Ministry are there and some special things related to the issues have to be informed to the Prime Minister.” “They have raised the problems and I will place these to the prime minister,” he said. Replying to a question whether the case filed against Rozina should be withdrawn; the Minister said “The case is now in the court. We have to discuss the matter with Law minister and others and after an overall consideration and discussion with all I can tell about this.” Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam was sent to jail on May 18 in a case filed under the Official Secrets Act and the Penal Code by the Health Ministry. She was freed from Kashimpur Women's Central Jail on May 23 after a Dhaka court granted her an ad-interim bail until July 15.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam must get justice. He said this to reporters at his residential office in the capital's Gulshan on Tuesday night. The minister said, "I will just say that in such an incident if there is any suspicion of creating a gap between the government and journalists, then the government will surely try to remove it.” On the day of hearing, the court will surely look into it and consider everything. He would also ask the prosecution to look into the case, he added. Read: Health Ministry forms 3-member committee to probe Rozina incident “I can say that Rozina Islam will definitely get justice,” he said. Earlier, journalist leaders including the president and general secretary of the National Press Club and Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum met the law minister and briefed him about Rozina Islam’s incident. A Dhaka court meanwhile, sent Rozina, arrested in a case under the Official Secrets Act, to jail after rejecting the police's demand for her five-day remand. She was arrested for allegedly attempting to illegally “collect sensitive government documents and taking photos of them” from the Secretariat on Monday. Read: Rozina’s arrest a black chapter in history of Bangladesh journalism: Editors’ Council The Prothom Alo journalist rejected all the allegations saying, "I was, in fact, harassed at the Secretariat."