Dhaka: Religious affairs ministry today condemned a Facebook post of a female journalist in which she claimed that female journalists were barred from covering the programme of its adviser at Bangladesh-China International Friendship Convention Centre (BCIFCC) yesterday. A press release of the ministry has said the post was given with an ulterior motive and the guest of the programme cannot be held responsible for any such incident if it happened in a programme.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the release said a Facebook post on the wall of a female journalist came to the notice of the ministry, which was shared by many people later on social media platforms in various ways. The release stated that the Religious Affairs Adviser Dr. AFM Khalid Hossain attended the programme being invited by an organization under the banner of Qawmi Udyokta.
The adviser stayed about 45 minutes in that programme and delivered his speech. He was not aware of preventing any female journalist from entering the venue, and no journalist raised any such allegation to him at that time. ‘If the adviser was informed about the matter, he would have certainly taken necessary measures to allow the female journalists to cover the programme,’ the release said.
The release further mentioned that it is certainly a deplorable act if any such incident occurred in the programme. However, it is not justified in any way to hold responsible the invited guest for any such incident, the release noted. The ministry press release pointed out that journalists are always invited and welcomed in any programme of the adviser or ministry of religious affairs, and the Religious Affairs Adviser is always extending support to female journalists to cover all his programmes since his joining to the ministry.
The press release said the adviser already allowed many female journalists to interview him, and the adviser himself or his office never barred any female journalist from doing their duties. In future, the Religious Affairs Ministry would also continue its support to female journalists to discharge their professional duties, the release confirmed.