Ahmed Akbar Sobhan pledges Tk1cr for families of 5 martyred journalists

Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan on Thursday announced Tk1 crore assistance for the families of five journalists who were killed during the July-August mass uprising spearheaded by students, which led to the fall of the fascist Awami League government.

"When journalist couple Sagor-Runi was killed, I gave Tk15 lakh to their family members as a fixed deposit receipt. Now, I'll provide Tk1 crore to be equally distributed among the families of the five journalists who were martyred during the July movement," he said.

The Bashundhara Group Chairman was inaugurating the celebrations of the 15th founding anniversary of the Kaler Kantho at its head office in the Bashundhara Residential Area of Dhaka.

On the occasion, the Kaler Kantho gave Tk2 lakh to the families of the martyred journalists each as part of honouring them.

The martyred journalists are Hasan Mehedi of the Dhaka Times, Shakil Hossain of the Bhorer Awaz, Abu Taher Muhammad Turab of the Naya Diganta, Tahir Zaman Priyo of the Report.live and Pradip Kumar Bhowmik of the Khaborpatra.

Addressing the programme, the Bashundhara Group Chairman said the industrial conglomerate has changed the fate of journalists over the years.

"I always stand by journalists. When I had no media, the condition of journalists was very poor. After I entered the media industry, the journalists' status improved. I'll always be with journalists. If the families buy fixed deposit receipts, their future generation will maintain a secure life in the days to come," he said.

Wishing the continued well-being of journalists, Ahmed Akbar Sobhan said, "We've got rid of autocracy at the cost of thousands of lives, including these five journalists. The people of this country can now speak freely. This is our greatest achievement."

He said the media can now run any news based on the truth as Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus asked the media to exercise objective criticism.

"I'll say 'without resorting to falsehood, reveal the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be'. Please say and write it as it is. The entire country, the entire nation will benefit," the Bashundhara Group Chairman said.

He urged the members of victim families to nurture the young generation properly so that they can contribute to the economy in future.

Veteran journalist Shafik Rehman was the guest of honour at the programme chaired by Kaler Kantho Editor Hasan Hafiz.

Bashundhara Group Adviser Imdadul Haq Milan, East West Media Group Ltd Deputy Managing Director Kader Gani Chowdhury, Kaler Kantho Executive Editor Haider Ali, Daily Sun Editor Rezaul Karim Lotus, T Sports CEO Ishtiaq Sadek, Bangladesh Pratidin acting Editor Abu Taher, Executive Editor Manjurul Islam and Managing Editor Ruhul Amin Rasel, and Banglanews24.com Editor Lutfor Rahman Himel were present on the occasion.

Addressing the programme, Shafik Rehman said the people of Bangladesh can now speak following the martyrdom of over 2,000 individuals, including five journalists.

He described Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan as the No. 1 entrepreneur in Bangladesh. "Ahmed Akbar Sobhan is a simple person as far as I know. However, he is an extraordinary person in terms of entrepreneurship. Mr Sobhan overcame many challenges, including propaganda against him. I always try to support him. I got the opportunity to work with him once," he said.

Shafik Rehman, founding editor of the Jai Jai Din newspaper, said Ahmed Akbar Sobhan is not only moving alone, he believes in empowering others to move together.

"When I met Mr Sobhan, he shared his objective in life to promote media for growth. He has proven excellence in media investment. The Kaler Kantho and the Bangladesh Pratidin are two prominent newspapers in Bangladesh. Bashundhara Residential Area has turned into a prestigious and secure neighbourhood in the country. Now, I believe he'll gain success in the new healthcare project through establishing a hospital," he said.

Poppy, the grieving widow of Hasan Mehedi, shared her heart-wrenching experience at the programme. "We had been living happily. My husband was brutally murdered. My two daughters, especially the elder one, adored him. She constantly asks 'where is Dad?' I have no answer for my daughter's question. Didn't they think for a moment, before shooting, about how I would raise these children?"

SOURCE : Daily Sun