Preserve history of July uprising

Comprehensive information about the July mass uprising should be preserved for authentic history, said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Jagannath University Journalist Association on the media’s role during the uprising, Shafiqul said the lack of documentation on the Liberation War had allowed for distortion of its history.

“A moment as noble as the July uprising has never come to the nation before. Every second of this historic event should be documented to prevent future distortions,” he said.

“I do not know how much of the 1971 war our journalists witnessed. Ten million of our people became refugees, but very little has been written about their suffering,” he added.

He criticised certain media outlets during the uprising for portraying protesters as “enemies of the nation,” even relaying messages to suppress them.

“If the fascist forces had triumphed, two lakh people would have been imprisoned, and the narrative would have labelled protesters as miscreants,” he said.

Shafiqul also accused the Awami League government of kleptocracy and claimed public funds were siphoned abroad, with laundered money now being used to spread propaganda.

Press Institute of Bangladesh Director General Faruk Wasif compared fascism to feudalism, calling for an end to domination in favour of national and public interests.

The event was chaired by Journalist Association President Imran Hossain and moderated by General Secretary Mahtab Hossain.