Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has come down heavily on Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star , for publishing military intelligence–fed reports that branded her and other politicians as “corrupt”.
Mr. Anam, who admitted his “biggest mistake” recently, published materials supplied by the Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) without independent verifications during the military-led caretaker government in 2007-08.
“This editor has confessed to making a mistake by publishing DGFI-supplied reports. But people, politicians, Awami League leaders and activists, the business community, students and teachers, and my family and I had to pay the price for that mistake. Why didn’t he show the courage by resigning, if he has the guts,” Ms. Hasina, who was detained by the military-led caretaker regime, said at a meeting on Monday.
“(But) Truth cannot be hidden, it will ultimately surface,” the Prime Minister said, adding: “ The Daily Star editor’s real face has been exposed... What the editor has so far written with the pretence of honesty were all fraudulences and untrue which were aimed at destroying the country.”
A number of civil society leaders, including the Editors’ Council, have denounced harassment of Mr. Anam as over 60 defamation suits, including charges of sedition, were filed against him across the country. Prime Minister Hasina, however, rejected those criticisms and recalled the 11-month solitary confinement she had to serve.
“Two newspapers published reports prepared by the army’s intelligence wing to remove me and (BNP chief) Khaleda Zia from politics forever,” she said referring to the much controversial ‘Minus Two’ move by the military backed regime.
“The head of the government will run the country, not the DGFI,” she added. She said when the Liberation War began, the Star editor moved to West Pakistan for his studies. “Later, he went to Kolkata and he was given the responsibility for writing in English as he knew English well...this is his joining the Liberation War.”
